


RWBY: The Pink Lemonade Compendium

by dongyrn



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friendship, Ladybug - Freeform, Love, M/M, North Pole, Schneekos - Freeform, Team Collateral Damage - Freeform, it's so fluffy I'm gonna die, pink lemonade - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 74,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8179202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dongyrn/pseuds/dongyrn
Summary: A collection of my individually-published works of fluff from fanfiction.net, throwing together Pink Lemonade, Ladybug, and North Pole, as well as a number of others.





	1. Pink Lemonade

**Author's Note:**

> Standard Disclaimer: All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily the glorious minds at Rooster Teeth, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Nora are usually a disaster in the making, but when the blonde bruiser's partner in mischief gets sick, what's a friend to do?

**Beacon Academy**  
**Monday morning**

_Bang!_

Blake almost jumped into the air at the sound. She'd been sitting, quite peacefully mind you, and reading in the shade of the bushes by her favorite fountain when the still of the morning air was shattered.

With a soft grumble under her breath, she started to rise from her perch to see what the matter was, but the raven-haired Faunus froze halfway up.

In a pink blaze of glory, Nora came streaking past, trailing a peal of giggles as she flew by. Blake's sharp eyesight barely caught the fact that the small hammer-wielder from Team JNPR was clutching a rather familiar dark yellow scarf in her hand.

Not three seconds later, Yang came tearing by her startled partner in a flare of gold, completely ignoring her presence.

"You won't get away from me this time!" she hollered gleefully.

Nora's response might have best been summed up as, "Wheee!"

Blake sighed resignedly as another loud _Bang!_ came from the direction they had headed towards. She lowered herself back to the bench and picked back up where she was reading previously.

**Monday afternoon**

Team RWBY was sitting together and discussing their upcoming classes for the day. Well, most of them were, at least.

Yang was sitting on the end, tossing grapes back and forth between herself and Nora at the next table over, attempting to see how many they could get in the air at the same time.

"Ruby, did you finish your History paper?" Weiss asked her partner.

"Eight!" Yang called out merrily.

The petite red-cloaked leader of their team nodded wearily. "Stayed up _alllll_ night," she yawned. "But I got it done. Thanks for the notes Weiss."

"You are most welcome," the platinum-haired girl replied.

"Ten!" Nora yelled from the next table over.

Blake, reading another book, this one a text for history, held up her spoon without looking and deflected a poorly-aimed grape.

"Lost one, gimme a sec!" Yang said, frantically scrabbling on her plate for another.

"Eleven!" Nora sang out.

The three other members of Team RWBY glanced over at the golden-haired brawler, and then as one swiveled to look over at Team JNPR's table. Jaune and Pyrrha were shaking their heads as they returned the look, while Ren simply shrugged helplessly.

And then Coco walked by, reading her scroll intently, and strolled straight into the barrage of grapes.

She halted and slowly swiveled her head first towards Nora and then towards Yang, finally lowering her sunglasses to deliver a withering glare on the latter.

"Heheh," Yang laughed weakly, giving the second-year student a small wave. "Sorry!"

**Monday evening**

"I just don't understand the two of you," Weiss huffed out as she preceded her team into their dorm room.

"Who, Nora?" Yang asked breezily as she skipped past. With a quick hop, she flung herself up and into her bunk bed, blonde hair spilling out across her pillow.

"Yes! Her!" Weiss replied archly, hands on her hips in what Yang liked to called the 'Princess Pose'. "The pair of you are a walking disaster!"

"Oh, leave her alone, Weiss," Ruby smiled as she climbed up into her own bed with an armful of papers and books. "It's just harmless fun."

"Harmless?" Weiss practically shrieked, flailing her hands about. Yang smirked behind her hand, noting the resemblance to a small, white, angry Nevermore as she stomped about the room, squawking irritably. "What about the prank on Ren? That could have gotten someone seriously hurt!"

"It was a half-charged grenade," Yang murmured. Blake shot her a part-amused, part-exasperated look as she went to gracefully curl onto her own bunk underneath her partner's.

"And what about Russel?" the Schnee heiress continued to rant.

"Okay, now _he_ totally had it coming to him," Yang interjected. "We both heard him bad-mouthing Velvet for being a Faunus." Left unsaid was Yang's continued sensitivity on the subject due to her close relationship to her partner Blake. The raven-haired girl let a soft smile show while reading over an essay she had written for the next morning, even though Yang couldn't see it.

Weiss growled, sounding a bit like an angry kitten. "But Cardin thought it was Jaune and took it out on him!"

"Now that's just silly," Yang replied, somewhat embarrassed. She _did_ feel bad about Jaune taking the fall for that one. "Jaune doesn't even _own_ any pink paint."

The white-skirted girl threw her hands up in exasperation. "Walking disaster!" she proclaimed again.

"Maybe you guys could tone it down a little?" Ruby hesitantly queried.

Yang opened her mouth but closed it again on her angry retort. It wasn't Ruby's fault, or Weiss' even, really. They were her teammates, and just trying to look out for her.

But, dammitall, she _liked_ hanging out with the orange-haired bubbly hellion. They shared the same, oftentimes quirky, humor. The adventure-seeking blonde was never bored in Nora's company, there was always some insane plan of the pinkette's that she was usually ready and willing to participate in.

Though, perhaps that last bit was part of the problem.

She loved her teammates, she really did. Her little sister, who was turning out to be far better a leader than she ever would have given her credit for, ever optimistic and encouraging. Blake, quiet and determined but extraordinarily dedicated to her team, and always ready with quiet insight if you knew to listen for it. Even Weiss, once you got past the Ice Princess exterior she was the kind of solid friend that came around once in a lifetime.

But Nora… she was _fun_. Like _crazy_ fun.

Yang sighed, glancing over at Ruby and Weiss, the former looking at her a little worriedly, unused to her big sister showing any hesitation, and the latter somewhat expectantly.

"Yeah, okay," she simply replied. "I'll try."

"Thank you," Weiss stated primly before stalking off to the restroom.

"We're just trying to look out for you, Yang," Ruby said quietly. "We don't want you to get into trouble."

"I know, Ruby," Yang smiled. "Thanks."

**Tuesday morning**

Yang plopped her tray down next to her teammates and glanced over to see what her erstwhile companion in mischief was up to today.

Only there was just an empty seat where Nora usually perched.

"Hey!" she called out to Team JNPR. "Where's Nora?"

"She's sick," Pyrrha answered, her eyes soft with concern.

"Oh, no," Ruby exclaimed sympathetically. "Is it bad? Is it a cold, or the flu, or some kinda plague?"

The redheaded girl shook her head with a smile. "Just a twenty-four-hour bug, we think. I was going to bring her some soup, but we're running late. I hope she can wait for lunch…"

"Oh!" Yang blurted out. "I can take some to her!"

"Yang, we have class!" Ruby reminded her sister.

The blonde looked at her younger sister with large, lilac-colored puppy-dog eyes.

Blake sighed humorously. "Go on, I'll take notes for you."

"Thanks, Blakey!" Yang cheered. "You're the best!"

Fifteen minutes later saw Yang trotting happily down the hallway back towards the dorm rooms while the rest of her team headed towards the class they shared.

Weiss sighed. "Well, at least if Nora is sick they can't get into too much trouble."

Blake smiled to herself softly. She had a few suspicions but was hesitant to voice anything. The Faunus was very observant, even if she was often found with her nose in a book, and she'd been watching her partner and the orange-haired girl interact for awhile now. She just wondered if either of them realized what she suspected…

Yang arrived at Team JNPR's room, balancing the covered bowl of chicken soup on top of her books so that she might rap on the door. She waited for a few seconds, but there was no reply.

Frowning slightly, the brawler knocked again, harder this time. When she still got no answer, she sighed slightly. On a hunch, she tried the door handle and found it unlocked.

The blonde pushed the door in just a little bit. "Um, Nora? It's Yang, I have soup for you!" She hesitated as there was no reply. "Okay, I'm coming in!"

She hip-bumped the door open the rest of the way, and then paused on the threshold.

Nora was sprawled out on her bed, headphones on and eyes closed. She wore her nightshirt still, dark grey with the word 'BOOP' on it as well as her signature hammer logo, and her pink thunderbolt shorts.

Only her knees were up in the air, pushing her shorts way up and revealing quite a bit of leg.

Yang stood there for a few seconds before shaking her head irritably. What was wrong with her? Sure, Yang didn't really have a preference between boys or girls, she liked to have a good time with whoever could return the favor, but this was Nora! Her mischief buddy!

The blonde bruiser shut the door behind her with her foot and sat the stacked books and soup down on the floor. Nora's music was playing loudly enough that she could hear it, and the girl's knees were gently knocking together in rhythm.

Grinning slightly, Yang took a couple of steps back before launching herself forward, landing in a crouch at the foot of the bed.

Nora squealed loudly as her back rose up from her bed from the impact, and her bright green eyes flew open.

"Yang!" she laughed as she spied the brawler perched at the end of her bed. She pulled her earphones off and turned the music down. "What are you doing here? Are you sick too? Oh, I'm so sorry if I got you sick, I've been keeping myself quarantined on purpose, this sucks to have and I didn't want anyone else to get it!" Her voice was slightly dulled from her usual chipper self and sounded a bit stuffy.

"Nah, just brought you some soup!"

Nora blinked her eyes. "You brought me… soup?"

"Uh-huh. Pyrrha didn't have the time, so I volunteered."

"Don't you have class?"

"Yep! Blakey's covering for me!"

"Wow," Nora breathed, her face unusually solemn. "That was really nice of you."

"Eh," Yang waved away the compliment. "What're friends for?"

She brought the soup, along with a spoon she'd pilfered from the cafeteria, over towards Nora and got her set up. The orange-haired girl took a cautious spoonful and then began shoveling it in.

"Thish ish good," Nora mumbled.

"Well, I know it's not pancakes, but hopefully this'll be easier on you." Yang looked around the room. "So, uh, what have you got planned for today?"

Nora slurped up the rest of the soup and dropped the bowl and spoon to the floor before flinging herself onto her back again. "Nothing," she sighed dramatically. "Absolutely nothing."

"Huh," the blonde remarked. "Sounds boring." She looked off to the side, briefly wondering why she felt slightly nervous uttering the next sentence, but quickly squashed the errant thought. "So, um… you want me to stick around and hang out with you?"

Nora's head shot up off of the pillow as she gave her a wide-eyed stare. "You'd keep me company?" she whispered incredulously.

"Well… yeah! I mean, I got some work I can do for school, but it can wait. And Blakey's in all my classes today, I'm sure she'll keep covering for me."

Nora kept staring at her, the silence drawing out and beginning to make Yang slightly uncomfortable.

"Um, Nora? You okay?"

The pinkette shook her head and blinked again. "Oh, sorry, I just… Yeah, it's this bug, you know, making me fuzzy…" She laughed a little self-consciously and flopped her head back again.

Yang kicked off her flats and then peeled her stockings away before sitting cross-legged at Nora's feet in her school outfit. "Alright, Nora, it's time we had a serious conversation."

Nora's head shot up once again. "Um, okay?" she gulped with uncharacteristic nervousness.

The blond leaned forward on her elbows, her face grim. "What… is… your favorite band?"

The pinkette blinked owlishly. "Uhhh… The Achieve Men?"

"Yes!" Yang cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "See? I knew we were destined to be friends!"

They both relaxed somewhat after that and the conversation drifted back and forth between topics, Nora often steering them onto a tangent that had nothing to do with the original. Yang smiled as she was easily able to keep up with her, cherishing the opportunity to get to know the girl better.

At one point, Nora cocked her head to the side curiously as she sat up against her headboard. "You're very patient, you know."

"Um, pardon?" Yang replied, perplexed. She'd been called many things in the past, very few of them complimentary, but that was the first time she'd ever had that word applied to her.

Nora nodded sagely. "You put up with me. I know I can… you know… ramble on and on sometimes… Pyrrha gets a little exasperated at me… But you just keep up with me." She smiled brilliantly. "Thanks, Yang."

The blonde smiled at her softly. "It's my pleasure, Nora."

They sat like that for maybe a minute, just looking at each other with a goofy smile on each of their faces, before Nora let out a groan and shifted. "Ugh, the worst part of this is that my back is killing me. I don't have a fever anymore, and why do fevers make your back ache anyways? I get the headache thing, but why the back?"

"I dunno, guess it's all connected somehow," Yang shrugged. "Here, roll over, I'll give you a rub."

"A… a what?" Nora squeaked.

Yang frowned. "You know, a back rub? Massage?"

"Oh! Yeah, right, a back rub! Sure, that sounds great!" Nora quickly turned and flopped down on her belly, though Yang could have sworn she saw a blush on the orange-haired girl's cheeks.

Shrugging, the blonde moved up to straddle Nora's thighs and began to probe gently at her shoulders.

"Does it hurt… up here?"

"Mrgfrgl," Nora replied unintelligently.

Yang giggled. "I'll take that as a yes." She began to knead her strong fingers into the tight muscles, Nora moaning in ecstasy the whole time. She worked her way down her spine and then back up again.

"You ever had this done before?"Yang asked her curiously.

Nora shook her head back and forth where it was mashed into the pillow. "Nuh-uh," she mumbled.

"Really? Not even Ren?"

Nora sighed and turned her head to the side. "You know we're not together-together, right?"

"Well, yeah, everyone _says_ that, but…"

"No, really, we're not."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Okay… so why not? I mean, he's cute and all, right?"

Nora tried to shrug her shoulders which was difficult to do while Yang had them pinned with her calloused hands. "I guess."

Yang leaned down. "C'mon Nora, there's more to it than that…"

The orange-haired girl squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled something.

"Pardon?"

"I said," she sighed. "I like girls."

Yang's hands stilled momentarily before they picked up again but at a slightly slower pace. "Oh."

"And he likes guys."

"Oh. Well, okay, yeah then I can see how you guys would never be together-together."

"That's what I'm sayin'."

"Well, okay, then."

Nora cracked her eyes open to look back at the blonde. "Don't spread it around, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Eh, we just don't advertise it."

"Well, don't you date at all?"

"Who's got the time? Between classes, and missions, and all the crazy stuff to do around here… I don't think I could find anyone who could keep up with me."

Yang's hands kept moving but they were on automatic now, she didn't even pay attention as Nora's last statement kept echoing in her head.

_...Who could keep up with me._

Well, she could, couldn't she? Nora had just mentioned how Yang could keep up with her conversations. And they always had crazy fun together. And why was her brain even going down that path?

Was she… actually interested in Nora that way?

"Um, Yang?"

"Sorry, yeah?"

"Are you… did I make you uncomfortable? Because you stopped talking, and it was an uncomfortable stopping of the talking like when someone is thinking really hard about what was said, and I don't want…" Nora trailed off and turned her face back into the pillow, mumbling something else.

"Okay, I didn't catch that last part."

She turned her head back again. "Not important."

"Well, it was if you said it."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is it important?"

"Because you said it, silly. I'm interested in everything you say."

At that Nora turned around so that she was on her back and gazed up at the blonde bruiser. "Really?" she asked intently. "You really think what I say is important?"

"Well, yeah," she replied matter-of-factly.

Nora stared up at her again, her bright green eyes almost glowing. Yang became aware of a few facts gradually. One, she was now straddling the girl across the front of her thighs. And two, Nora's hands were resting on Yang's own thighs just under the hem of her skirt.

"Um." Yang swallowed. "Do you… want me to move?" she asked somewhat breathlessly.

Nora slowly shook her head wordlessly, her eyes never leaving Yang's.

"Okay," the blonde squeaked, then cleared her throat. "Do you, um… want me to massage you any more?"

Again Nora just shook her head.

Yang's eyes flickered down towards Nora's mouth, and she licked her lips uncertainly. She noted that Nora's eyes finally left hers when she did so, but it was just to glance down at her own lips before riveting back on her gaze again.

"Do you…" Yang began hoarsely. "Do you want me to… kiss you?"

Nora very slowly nodded her head.

"Okay," Yang breathed. She slid her hands to the side and very slowly lowered herself down, keeping eye contact with the orange-haired girl the entire way down. When their noses were just a fraction apart she stopped.

"You sure?" Yang whispered. "'Cause, you know, if this is just the fever talking…"

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Okay."

She lowered herself down the rest of the way and gently pressed her lips against Nora's, finally closing her eyes and sighing at the velvety texture. She'd kissed her fair share of girls, but Nora… her lips were simply exquisite, soft and plump and oh so very inviting… And then Nora sighed as well and parted her lips, slipping her small tongue out. Yang followed suit, and they both gently probed each other.

Yang was dimly aware of Nora's hand sliding up her thighs and then around, squeezing her from behind and pulling her closer into the embrace. The larger blonde relaxed her arms and fell into Nora fully, relishing the body contact.

Eventually, she leaned back up again as her chest began to ache for air again.

"Wow," Yang panted breathlessly.

Nora nodded, her eyes bright and a smile forming on her lips. "You are, like, a seriously good kisser."

"Yeah? I was gonna say the same about you."

"You're kinda squishing me, though."

Yang looked down at her ample chest pressing into Nora. "Oh! Sorry, the girls can be a little, heh, hefty."

"I don't mind," Nora grinned wickedly. "I like my women busty."

"Oh, really?" Yang asked archly as she rolled onto her side. Nora rolled with her but pushed Yang back all the way so that their positions were reversed in short order.

"Yeah," Nora said with a cheeky grin. "Really." She laid her head down on Yang's bosom, and the blonde could have sworn that she began to purr.

"You sure you're not part Faunus?" Yang chuckled.

"Nope," Nora replied softly. "Just really, really happy." She craned her neck up. "I kinda wanted this for awhile, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I just didn't… I liked having you as a friend, you know? I didn't want to mess that up."

"I don't think it will. And besides, you'll always have me as a friend, no matter what."

"Hmm…" Nora mused, moving up and propping her chin on her folded arms. "So, Miss Yang Xiao Long…"

"Yes, Miss Nora Valkyrie?" Yang prompted humorously.

"You think you can keep up with me?"

Yang wrapped her arms around Nora's neck and pulled her close. "Watch me," she murmured against the orange-haired girl's lips.

**Wednesday morning**

Yang moaned loudly. "This sucks," she whined.

"Well, serves you right," Weiss stated as she stood by Yang's bed, her arms crossed. "You spent all day in Nora's room, what did you expect?"

"Not to be lectured, that's for sure," Yang grumbled irritably.

"Excuse me?" Weiss said, her eyebrows raised imperiously.

"C'mon, Weiss, we're gonna be late for class," Ruby laughed. "You get some rest, okay Yang?"

Yang waved her hand aimlessly before letting it plop to her side. She turned her head slightly to blurrily regard the bright pair of cat eyes that peered up from the bottom bunk.

"Are you sure you only spent time with Nora?" Blake asked mischievously. "Wasn't anything else that might have gotten you sick?"

Yang glared at her partner. "I dunno what you're talking about," she mumbled.

"Mmhmm," the raven-haired girl replied. "Well, I'll take notes again… and if I see Nora, I'll let her know, maybe she can bring you some soup…"

Yang smiled softly to herself. Maybe being sick today wouldn't be so bad if Nora would spend it with her…

"Oh," Blake added off-handedly. "And I'll make sure the rest of the team stays away from the room today. Just in case you want privacy." She grinned a cheshire-cat smile. "For whatever reason."

With a soft giggle the Faunus turned and sauntered out of the room.

Yang sighed and laid her head back. It was good to have friends who looked out for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my first RWBY fanfic. I'm usually found over on the Firefly or MCU boards, but just recently my daughter introduced me to this incredible anime show and I instantly fell in love with the characters. Being a huge fan of fem pairings, I also got a kick out of the idea of Yang and Nora, who I've seen referred to as both Pink Lemonade and Collateral Damage. Both apt names.


	2. Just A Little Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Yang splitting her time between Team RWBY and her girlfriend Nora, Ruby decides that Blake must be lonely. And that simply will not do.

**Beacon Academy**  
**Thursday Evening**

Ruby awoke in a cold sweat, trembling in panic and clasping her hands over her mouth to stifle her scream.

Another nightmare. And she had been doing so well, going so long without them.

The small redhead took deep, calming breaths. Well, she tried to, really she did, but all she managed to do was slow her frantic pants. Her eyes shot over to Yang's bunk on the other side of the room almost involuntarily. Her big sister was always able to reassure her and calm her down after the night terrors had come upon her so frequently back then.

But the bunk was empty.

_Right, she's in Team JNPR's room tonight, snuggled up next to Nora._

Since the blonde bruiser had started dating the petite orange-haired hellion a little over a week ago, they had split their time between the two teams socially. More often than not, they hung out together anyways, so it wasn't that big of a deal, really. And they didn't even spend every night together, but those they did were rotated between the two dorm rooms. And tonight was their turn to not be here, right when Ruby desperately needed her to be.

_No, no I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm in training to be a huntress. I'm leader of one of the best teams in Beacon. I can do this, it's just a stupid nightmare._

Only she didn't seem to be able to shake it off. It clung to her, the dark tendrils threatening to slither back into the recesses of her mind if she were to close her eyes. The feelings of failure, of abandonment, of losing her new family, her team, like she did her mother…

A soft sound broke into her panicked train of thought. Ruby glanced over to the bunk below Yang's, where Blake was now sitting up in her bed, her sleep-tousled hair barely visible in the dim light.

"Bad dream?" the raven-haired Faunus asked softly.

Ruby sniffled and nodded, feeling smaller by the minute. Of course, the Faunus would have heard her. Great, so now she disturbed her teammate as well, at least Weiss was a heavier sleeper otherwise she'd never hear the end of it.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Ruby was startled by the question. If she were in her right mind, of course, she wouldn't have been, as all of her teammates had become close enough that they deeply cared about what bothered each other.

The scythe-wielder, normally so confident on the field, suddenly felt very lost.

"I…" she whispered hesitantly. "I can't go back to sleep." She took a deep, shuddering breath and then looked over again. Yellow cat-eyes blinked at her solemnly in the darkness.

"Yang used to take care of you when you were little, right?" Blake asked gently.

Ruby nodded briefly. "But I'm not a child anymore," she stated, somewhat petulantly.

"No, but it's not childish to seek comfort." Blake sighed, and there was more rustling from her bunk. "Come on. You can sleep with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Now get down here so I can go back to sleep too."

"Okay."

She wasted little time in climbing down the bed, careful not to wake her slumbering partner, and then padding over to Blake. Her friend was holding the sheets open, allowing her to slip inside.

Ruby lay on her back, sharing the pillow with Blake who was on her side facing the redhead. The smaller girl shifted slightly. A twin bed was not nearly big enough for two people to lay like that.

"Lay on your side," Blake said gently. Ruby did so, and Blake pulled her in close, draping an arm across her stomach.

"Thanks, Blakey," Ruby whispered contentedly.

"You're welcome, Ruby. Now go to sleep."

And amazingly enough, she did.

**Friday Morning**

Yang opened the door to Team RWBY's room as quietly as possible and tiptoed inside. She'd forgotten her change of clothes, just like the dunce that Weiss always teased her to be. So she figured she'd sneak in and grab what she needed before the others woke.

Once she had her arms full of clothes and toiletries, she turned automatically to check on her little sister.

Only Ruby was not in her bunk.

The blonde stared at the empty bed incredulously. _Ruby is no more an early riser than I am, what is she doing up?_

A soft snore caused her to turn, and then her eyes got even wider.

There was Ruby, her little sister, snuggled up in Blake's arms.

Yang knew she had a bit of a temper. Okay, maybe a lot of a temper. And she tended to leap off after the Beowolf before thinking. But she'd been working on that, honestly she had, and her teammates had helped with that tremendously.

So it was with considerable, though successful, effort that she restrained herself from immediately demanding what her partner thought she was doing with her little sister.

The blonde stood in the middle of the room and stared at the pair. They really did look peaceful like that, and curiously enough both had very small smiles on their faces. She looked up at Ruby's disheveled sheets, and with a sinking feeling in her gut suddenly knew exactly what happened.

Ruby had a nightmare and she wasn't there for her.

Pushing aside the brief pang of guilt, she then understood that Blake had stood in for her to comfort Ruby. And she decided, right there on the spot, that she was fine with that.

Sure, she still felt badly that she wasn't able to comfort her sister when she'd needed her, but her teammates were like family now. She trusted them with her life, with her sister's life.

She could trust Blake with this.

Yang chuckled lightly and went out the door, shaking her head as she closed it behind her softly.

If she didn't know better, it almost looked like they were a couple, lying there like that.

Once the door closed, Blake opened her eyes curiously. She'd heard Yang enter and immediately woke, an artifact of life lived among the White Fang where you learned to sleep lightly.

Her partner's chuckle surprised her.

She'd been prepared to defend herself verbally after being found in bed with the muscular woman's little sister, but Yang had just stood there, considering the two of them, before leaving again.

Blake sighed softly to herself. She knew she should be getting up soon, but she missed this if she were honest with herself. Many Faunus, especially those of the canine or feline variety, slept together in large, comfortable piles when the situation allowed for it. Oftentimes while growing up she'd stayed overnight in the houses of other Faunus, whether to attend a rally or other White Fang activity. And when she did so, typically she just bunked with a group of them.

Lying here with her arm around the slumbering redheaded girl reminded her of that somewhat. It was one of the few memories she had of feeling… safe.

And she wasn't quite ready to let go of that yet, even if it meant Weiss caught them together as well.

Half an hour later Weiss' alarm went off. The platinum-haired girl slapped it and sat up, stretching tiredly and listening to the expected grumbling of her partner about the early hour.

Only this time, it came from across the room instead of above her.

Weiss glanced up at Yang's bunk, which was empty as expected, but then her eyes shot down to spy the small redhead sitting on the edge of Blake's bed. Both of them were sitting side-by-side, stretching languorously.

"Thanks for letting me sleep here, Blakey," Ruby yawned as she rose, scratching her backside as she padded over towards the bathroom.

Weiss was so startled by it all that she didn't have the chance to dive into the bathroom first as was her usual routine. She hated having to wait.

But right now she just sat on her bed, blinking her eyes in astonishment at the Faunus across from her.

Blake raised one eyebrow regally, almost a mimicry of Weiss.

The heiress opened her mouth and then clamped it shut again as Ruby shuffled back into the room. No, this really wasn't any of her concern. She rose and hurried into the bathroom before Blake could beat her into there as well.

**Friday Afternoon**

Classes were done for the day, and Team RWBY sat around the lunch table with Team JNPR, the members chatting among themselves idly. Yang and Nora had their heads together excitedly planning their evening's activities. The couple had made a pact that Friday evenings were just for the two of them, be it activities around campus or a night out on the town.

Ruby smiled to herself as she overheard them discussing the option of going clubbing. She knew Yang'd had lots of boyfriends and girlfriends before, but somehow this seemed different to her. For one, Yang had grown a lot in the time they'd been at Beacon, but also she seemed very intent on fulfilling Nora's needs and desires. The pinkette seemed to reciprocate the feeling as well. Granted, they could be seconds away from an impending disaster at any given time, seeing how rambunctious the pair were. Their propensity for mischievous pranks seemed to have increased exponentially since they'd started dating, much to the consternation of the general population of Beacon.

But Ruby couldn't deny the fact that they were awfully cute together.

Deep down, the redhead knew she was a romantic at heart. She didn't feel the need to play matchmaker or anything, but she really liked to see her friends happy. And even better if two of her friends were happy together. Also, it tied Team JNPR even closer to her own team, which was fine by her.

She knew it was hard, though, to balance everything. Yang now split her time with her own team, Nora, schoolwork, and training. So everybody got just a little bit less of her.

Well, good thing Team RWBY was the most awesome team among the Beacon first-years, thanks to the efforts of their fearless leader, Ruby Rose!

"Ruby, why are you striking a pose?"

The redhead glanced down from where she was standing, one foot up on the table's surface and the other on her seat with her arms planted heroically on her hips. The speaker, Weiss, was looking at her with an unusual level of bemusement, while the others at the table chuckled lightly. Even Blake had a soft smile as she glanced up from her book.

"Um, yeah, sorry, just got caught up in the, um, moment…" She sat back down abashedly. Sometimes the scythe-wielder got really excited thinking about how her team meshed so well together… _Blake!_

Ruby's silver eyes darted over to where the Faunus sat, her nose in her book as usual. The thought had just occurred to her, like a hit from Magnhild, that the one person likely to be the most affected by Yang's increased absence was her partner.

Ugh, how could she be so insensitive? Blake was likely going to just mope around all weekend without anything to do but _read_! How horrible! It was up to Ruby as intrepid team leader to salvage this situation. Plus, it'd be really nice to repay her for her last night's kindness. She entertained a soft smile as she remembered waking up in Blake's arms. It certainly wasn't the worst way to greet the day. Unlike Yang, who was all toned muscle, Blake had a good bit of softness to her.

Well, aside from the whole bosom thing. Yang's was pretty impressive, but Blake's was nice, too.

Wait, why was she suddenly thinking of Blake's bosom?

No matter, she had plans to make! Operation Salvage Blake from Boredom would commence forthwith!

"Ruby, you're posing again," Weiss sighed.

"Oh, sorry…"

**Friday Night**

Blake was highly engrossed in the latest installment of Ninjas of Love. Things had just taken an interesting turn when the heroine suddenly found herself the object of the affections of the sister of the man she'd been pursuing. The raven-haired girl read the convoluted tale raptly as the sister, Kimura, confronted the heroine, Rin, and confessed the true depths of her feelings. They stepped close to each other, the heat from their bodies igniting the passion in their hearts as Kimura leaned in and-

"Blakey!"

"Gah!" Blake screamed, jumping back on her bed and dropping the book in her lap. A certain silver-eyed team leader was crouching at the foot of Blake's bed, grinning widely.

Wait, how did Ruby even enter the room without her noticing?

Once she'd gotten her heart rate under control, Blake managed to choke out a reply.

"Yes, Ruby?" She was rather proud of how calm she managed to sound.

"I have activities!"

Blake blinked her yellow eyes uncertainly. "Pardon?"

"For you and me, stuff to do!" Ruby grinned excitedly, clutching a sheet of paper in her hand that was covered with scrawls. "I thought we might go see a movie first!"

The Faunus still wasn't quite following what was going on. She looked over to the other bunk, but Weiss was nowhere in sight, and she knew Yang was out on the town with Nora.

But Ruby was staring at her with her big, wide silver eyes, her mouth turning slowly downwards as Blake took longer to answer.

"Um… okay."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around the other girl. "C'mon, next airbus leaves in fifteen minutes!"

Blake smiled at the younger girl's enthusiasm as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "What… movie did you want to see?"

"Oh, there's this cool new one about spaceships and stuff, or there's a funny romantic one, both of those sound great!"

Blake considered the choices before her seriously, as it would seem her evening had been planned out for her. She didn't mind, really, as she could read anytime. The little redhead's enthusiasm really was infectious, and when was the last time she got to do anything with just the two of them?

"I think… the romantic comedy."

"Okay! C'mon, gotta move, gotta move…"

Laughing softly, Blake clung to the energetic girl's hand as she sped along the halls. It was interesting, Yang would have immediately turned up her nose at anything other than an action movie.

Maybe this could be fun.

**Later That Evening**

Ruby's peals of laughter preceded the pair of girls as they exited the theater. "And then when he had to pretend to be the store owner so that she wouldn't buy the ring first? That was so funny!"

Blake chuckled, the broad smile on her face very uncharacteristic for her. "I liked the best friend, Julia. She was funny."

"And cute, too!" Ruby giggled. "I don't know why she didn't end up with anybody, that would have been the perfect ending!"

"Why, Ruby," Blake teased. "Are you telling me you're a romantic?"

Ruby paused and looked around dramatically. "Shhh," she whispered. "Don't let it get around." She then skipped ahead, giggling once more. She immediately stopped as a most unfamiliar sound came from behind her.

Blake was… laughing? Like, full-on, wholeheartedly laughing!

The redhead turned incredulously as Blake attempted to stifle her laugh, throwing up a hand to cover her mouth, though her cat-eyes were still crinkled in mirth and the bow on top of her head twitched in tune with her laughter.

"Oh, don't stop, Blakey!" Ruby squealed. "I love your laugh! You should laugh more!"

Blake sighed and wiped her eyes. "Ahhh… Oh, whew. I just… I haven't laughed like that in a long while." She smiled at her friend. "Thanks for this, Ruby. I didn't realize how badly I needed it."

In a flurry of rose petals, Ruby tackled the Faunus in a tight hug. "You betcha, Blakey. We should do this again sometime!"

"Yeah, we should," Blake smiled, returning the hug warmly.

They stood like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the feel of each other's arms around them, until Ruby realized that she was starting to feel a little funny. Her cheeks were feeling hot and her tummy was doing strange things, like it was flipping around inside her. Maybe she shouldn't have had the nachos as well as the three candy bars?

She groaned slightly and released her friend. "Whew, I'm feeling kinda warmish… Maybe we should be getting back."

"Um, yes," Blake replied, who, for some reason she herself couldn't identify, was blushing furiously. "Yes, we should."

"Hey, are you okay Blakey? You're lookin' kinda warmish too… Maybe we both ate something weird?"

"Yes, yes, exactly," Blake replied hurriedly with a forced smile as the pair strode off towards the airbus. "I'm sure that's what it was."

**Saturday Morning**

Blake was losing her mind.

That was surely the only explanation for how she was feeling. She couldn't get it out of her head, the feeling when she and Ruby were simply standing there, basking in the warmth of their fun evening, hugging.

She had felt her heart rate increase, felt the flush in her cheeks and the warmth spread through her limbs… It was exciting and scary and glorious and terrifying…

_No. No no no this is not happening. I am not…_

She couldn't even let herself finish the thought. Surely this was just a… a fluke. Yes, that was all it was, a fluke.

And there was a decent possibility that she could have just played it all off, except for one, very small thing.

A small redhead thing, in fact, currently wrapped in the Faunus' arms and in her bed.

She tried not to make a single twitch as her mind raced furiously. The raven-haired girl wasn't even sure how Ruby had ended up in her bed again. They'd gotten back late last night, before Yang and Nora but well after Weiss had gone to sleep.

But there was no way she would have agreed to letting Ruby bunk with her again.

Was there?

Or, in her sleepy state, did her hormones suddenly take over?

Sweet Oum, what else did she say?

Blake felt the bunk bed move slightly as someone above her shifted. A hand dropped down over the edge of the bunk. It was smaller than Yang's, indicating that the both of them stayed over last night when they'd gotten back from their night of clubbing.

Great. So now she had a dorm room full of people to witness… whatever this was.

She was losing her mind, that's what this was.

As if disturbed by her mental acrobatics, Ruby stirred slightly from where she was curled up against her. The redhead turned around, still within Blake's embrace, until she was facing her.

 _Oh, now, that's just the last straw._ Blake spent the next several minutes haranguing every form of deity or providence that she could think of for putting her in this situation, instead of gazing at Ruby's adorable cheeks and plump lips where they were sitting right there, slightly parted as if-

_No no no no stop it!_

Okay. Time for serious reflection. Blake resolutely closed her eyes and furrowed her brow as she attempted to logic her way out of the situation.

One, this was her team leader. Her teammate. There was no possible way she had… That she could have… That she wanted to…

_Ugh, I can't even continue the thought! How am I such a coward about even thinking about it? Fine, alright, fine! I am attracted to her!_

She let out a small huff of breath at the effort that took for her to admit to herself. It didn't bode well for the rest of her planned introspection.

Very well, then. Secondly. this was also Yang's little sister. She was fairly certain Yang's protectiveness over Ruby would extend towards anyone showing affection towards her of an unwanted nature, be they partner or no.

Third, Ruby was her friend. Well, no, more than a friend, she truly did hold a special place in her heart. She was fun and caring, considerate of her teammates and friends, and cute, and…

No, she was getting off track again.

And then fourthly-

"Blakey?" a small voice murmured.

The Faunus opened her eyes and gazed into a pair of silver orbs right in front of her face.

_Oh, sweet Oum, I so want to kiss her right now._

"Are you okay, Blakey?" Ruby asked.

"Um…" Blake's mind went completely blank. Empty of thought, no rescue to come in terms of an honorable way out of the situation. It had failed her when she needed it the most and left her a gibbering idiot.

"You were frowning kinda hard," Ruby murmured, her eyes wide. "And… and you're all flushed again."

"So are you," Blake whispered back.

"Yeah…" Ruby swallowed. "Maybe we got sick or something?"

"Yes, yes that's it exactly," Blake nodded rapidly, almost bumping Ruby's forehead as she desperately latched onto the excuse once more. "I'm sure that's what it is. Um, I think I need to, er… use the restroom."

"Oh! Okay!" Ruby extracted herself from where she'd gotten wrapped up in both Blake's sheets and limbs so that the raven-haired girl could flee into the refuge of the restroom.

She stood at the sink, splashing cold water on her face.

No, that wasn't going to be enough.

Stripping off her clothes, the Faunus shivered as she walked into the freezing-cold shower.

_Maybe I can actually get myself sick this way, then it wouldn't be a lie…_

**Saturday Afternoon**

Ruby didn't get it. Blake had been acting funny all morning, burying her nose in her book more so than usual. Everytime she'd tried to engage the Faunus in conversation, the other girl's cheeks were flushed and she mumbled her reply.

Did she do something wrong? She thought they had a great time last night, and she had lots more for them to do, only…

Only now it seemed like Blake was avoiding her. Worse, every time the redhead got close to her, she felt her tummy get queasy again.

Ruby let out an irritated huff of air as the group left the cafeteria. Only one thing to do.

Call for reinforcements. Or, in this case, expert opinion.

"Hey, Yang? You got a minute?"

The blonde looked over her shoulder from where she'd been walking along, holding Nora's hand, and gave her a friendly grin. "Yeah, sis, gimme a sec."

She bent down to murmur something in Nora's ear that made her giggle, and they shared a quick but passionate kiss before separating, Nora skipping off with Ren and Yang heading back to where Ruby stood uncertainly.

"So what's up?"

Ruby sighed dejectedly as she led them over to a bench. "I think maybe I messed something up. And maybe I'm sick."

Yang blinked her lilac eyes. "Ooookay, why don't you start at the beginning."

So Ruby did, in her usual rambling and accelerated fashion. She covered everything that had happened since the previous day where she'd decided to do something nice for Blake.

"And- and then when I woke up this morning, I felt all queasy again!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her arms about wildly. "I was all flushed, and weird! And now Blakey's, like, avoiding me, I think!"

The redhead put her head down dejectedly. "I don't know what to do," she moaned.

_*Snerk.*_

Her head whipped around at the sound to see Yang with both of her hands clamped over her mouth, vainly attempting to hold back evidence of her mirth.

"Are you…" Ruby looked at her sister incredulously. "Are you laughing at me?"

Yang shook her head violently, her blond hair flying about.

"You are! You're laughing so hard that you're crying!"

Ruby was about to get up and stalk away angrily when Yang finally let go of her mouth to pull her sister into a hug.

"Oh, Ruby," she wheezed once she was capable of speech again. "Honey… you're not sick."

"I'm… not?"

"No, silly. I think you have a crush on Blake."

"WHAT?" Ruby shouted, bolting upright and almost giving Yang a bloody lip with her forehead.

"Okay, just calm down… Look, you only feel this way when you're close to Blake, right?"

"Um, yeah, I think so…"

"And that's when you get flushed, and butterflies in your belly?"

"I suppose…"

"And what happens when you look into Blake's eyes, like when you woke up this morning next to her?"

"Oh, well, um… I kinda feel like I'm lost in there, ya know? Kinda like…" Ruby stopped, her eyes wide and incredulous. "Oh my Oum, I have a crush on Blake."

Yang sighed good-naturedly and pulled her sister back into a reassuring hug. "This your first real one?"

"Yeah," Ruby said with a small voice. "What am I gonna do, Yang? I don't wanna mess up our team, or our friendship, or-"

"Hey, back up now," Yang said with uncharacteristic gentleness as she pulled back again. "Didn't you say Blake seemed sick too?"

"Yeah, but she must really be sick if-"

"And that she was avoiding you?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"And that her face got a flush also when she was close to you?"

"Well, yeah…" Ruby trailed off as the gears began to grind away. Yang waited with a patient smile. Her sister wasn't always the brightest cookie in the cookie jar, but she always got to where she needed to be eventually.

Finally, Ruby's eyes got even wider than before, if that were possible. "Do you think that she… that we…"

"I think it's worth a shot, Ruby," Yang smiled lovingly. "But you gotta talk to her."

Ruby looked down at the ground and scuffed the dirt with her boot. "Um, Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… you could talk to her for me?"

"No, Ruby."

"I'll do your papers for a week."

"That's cheating. And no, Ruby."

"I'll do your chores for a whole month, I know how you hate laundry day…"

"Ruby…"

The redhead let out a sigh that seemed to come from the very mountains. "Yeah, okay. I have to talk to her."

**Team RWBY's Dorm**

Meanwhile, Blake was sitting on her bed and eyeing a certain silver heiress consideringly.

She was out of options, really. And this was her best bet before she lost her sanity completely.

"Weiss?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" the other girl replied distractedly as she read from a textbook.

"You're my friend, right?"

Weiss looked up at that, her pale blue eyes flashing in the late afternoon sunlight streaming in from their window. "Well, yeah. I thought we established that."

"And as a friend, I could, well… ask you for advice?"

Blake squirmed on her bed uncomfortably as those blue orbs bored into her.

"Are you…" Weiss cleared her throat. "You want to ask me for my advice?"

Blake nodded wordlessly.

The platinum blonde slowly closed her book, rose regally, and then lowered herself onto Blake's bed across from her. "I would be honored," she said with a soft smile.

Blake smiled back, but then it crumbled. "I think…" She inhaled and closed her eyes. "I think I'm falling for Ruby," she finally let out in a rush.

Almost a full minute passed until the Faunus cracked one eye open to peer at her friend. Weiss sat very still with a stunned expression on her face.

"You… what?" she finally replied.

"I think…" Blake sighed and shook her head. "No, I _know_ I'm falling for Ruby. Like, as in romantically attracted to her. In a big way." She buried her face in her hands. "What am I going to do?" she moaned softly.

Weiss let out a sigh of her own and grasped Blake's hands, lowering them so that she could see her face again. "Well, for starters we're not going to fall apart over this, okay?"

"But I'll destroy the team," Blake said, her eyes brimming with tears. "It'll tear us apart, and then I'll… I'll have to leave, and…"

"Ah-pupupup!" Weiss cut her off imperiously but with a small smirk on her face. "Do you really have that little regard for us?"

Blake looked back at her, shocked. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

"We are your friends," Weiss stated firmly. "We are more than that, more than a team. We've been through so much together, why would a little thing like this cause problems?"

"What about Yang?" Blake asked fearfully.

"What about her? She's too busy off banging Nora to care."

"Weiss!" the Faunus stated, shocked at her vulgarity.

The platinum blonde gave her a wink. "Didn't know I could be that crude, did you?" she giggled. "Well, it's true. Yang and Nora make no excuses for their sexuality, they're both very comfortable with it. Now, I don't know if that's what you're after…"

"N- no, not really, I mean, I hadn't…" Blake swallowed.

"So then, what is it?"

"She's just…" Blake sighed and dipped her head again. "She's the warmest person I've ever met," she whispered. "She lights up a room just by being in it. Everything's more fun when she's part of it. And I… I really, really like her hugs, and… um, waking up next to her." She said the last bit with a squeak before clearing her throat again. "And…"

"Yes, and?" Weiss prompted.

"I really really want to kiss her!" Blake finally blurted out, covering her face again immediately after.

"Well, it sounds to me like you've got it pretty bad," Weiss commented, the smirk evident in her voice. "Of course, I'm not the person you need to tell this to."

"I don't think I can," Blake said, her voice muffled.

She felt Weiss get up from her bed as the mattress creaked. "But you already did."

Blake froze, her eyes wide and staring behind the protective shield of her hands. _No, no, no she did not… she couldn't possibly…_

"Blake?" a quiet voice interrupted her tortured thoughts.

_Oh, Oum, she did…_

"Blakey, please look at me." Another weight was pressed onto the mattress and two small hands wrapped around her own, pulling them away from her face once more.

The Faunus knew she looked like a mess. Her face was likely streaked with tears and her eyes red. But it didn't really matter at that moment in time.

Ruby looked at her, tears of her own flowing down her cheeks, but a wide and happy smile on her face.

"Do you really wanna kiss me?" the redhead asked her softly but earnestly.

Blake could only nod, the bow on her head twitching furiously.

"Well, good," Ruby replied. "'Cause I wanna kiss you, too."

Well, she couldn't really refuse her team leader, could she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! So, unlike just about every other story I've written, this was done purely as a stream of consciousness, no outline beforehand. I think it turned out pretty well, I had an idea where I wanted to go and ended up there. Eventually. Mostly.


	3. North Pole Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss never considered herself to be the jealous type. But with the rest of her team involved romantically, she's left to confront feelings she rather kept locked away. If only there were someone else who understood her predicament…

**Beacon Academy**  
**Friday Evening**

Weiss Schnee was absolutely, positively, most definitely _not_ the jealous type.

She sat on her bed, attempting to concentrate on her studies, while this mantra ran through her head. It irritated her further than she even needed to do so.

And she shouldn't need to. The platinum-haired heiress was finally striking out on her own, having decided to cut her ties with her father rather than submit to the strings he continually attached to his approval and funds. She was making a name for herself, as a huntress and a teammate on one of the best-

"C'mon Blondie, that carnival ride isn't gonna wait forever!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Nora, I'm almost done!"

"Oooh, that's what you said last night!"

"NORA!"

The last was yelled by three-fourths of Team RWBY in unison, while Weiss simply gritted her teeth. The pinkette giggled merrily.

"Well, it's true," Nora snickered.

"But my little sister does not need to hear about it!" Yang hollered in outrage from the bathroom.

Ruby, sitting on Blake's bed next to the Faunus, blushed a deep red. "Well, I mean," she stammered. "Not that I don't, um, wanna hear, but, y'know… not Yang. Sorry."

"Oh?" the orange-haired girl smirked as she hung upside-down from Yang's bunk. "So you don't mind hearing about past escapades, then?"

At that point, Yang walked out of the bathroom, grabbed hold of her girlfriend and walked out of the room with the giggling girl slung over her shoulder.

"Don't wait up for me!" the blonde brawler called out.

"We never do!" Ruby returned humorously. The petite team leader snuggled further into Blake's side, propping her textbook back up in her hands.

Weiss glanced at the pair briefly before returning to her own studies.

She was _not_ jealous. With everything she had going for her, what did she have to feel jealous about? And besides, she'd had plenty of people to date growing up, other teens within her class who had been picked out for her by her parents…

With an irritated shake of her head, Weiss pushed the thought aside. She did not need anyone, she had her team, her partner, who had started out as an irritant and was developing into someone she could actually call a friend.

"Hey, Blakey?" Ruby murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Um, since we're alone, can I… I mean, can we…"

"Weiss is sitting right there," Blake reminded her softly without looking up from the book she was reading.

"Oh, well yeah, I didn't mean like that…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. And there she went, right back into the irritant category.

"But, you know," Ruby continued hesitantly. "Weiss knows about you, and…"

Blake sighed and smiled softly. "Alright, Ruby." She sat her book down and reached up to tug off her bow.

If Weiss wasn't as trained as she was to keep control over her emotions she would have openly gaped. Blake was actually comfortable enough around Ruby to let her Faunus ears out?

Once the raven-haired girl had removed her bow, Ruby was immediately up on her knees, her book forgotten as she gently stroked the feline appendages with a forefinger. Blake sighed softly as her eyes briefly closed. "Ruby…" she whispered with another smile before clearing her throat. "You aren't getting your studying done."

"But I can't read and do this if you're sitting up."

"Alright, you win," Blake laughed lightly.

"Yay!" Ruby clapped her hands and sat back where she was originally, her legs out in front of her. The raven-haired Faunus curled up on her side with her head in Ruby's lap, and they both resumed their reading while Ruby played with Blake's ears.

Weiss tried to concentrate on her reading, but she couldn't resist sneaking a peek at the pair every so often. Blake was evidently finding it difficult to concentrate as well as her eyes kept fluttering shut every so often. She gave up completely when Ruby began to scritch at the base of her ears, and her book sagged shut as she curled up into a tighter ball with her eyes closed.

At the next sound that came from the bunk across the room, Weiss couldn't help but stare openly.

The blue-eyed huntress caught Ruby's attention. "Is she purring?" she mouthed silently.

Ruby nodded with a grin before returning to her book contentedly.

Weiss couldn't stop looking at the two. Curled up that that, they just looked so, so…

 _Intimate_.

Giving herself a shake, Weiss gathered up her work into a stack of papers and books. She quietly slid off of her bed after pulling her boots on, picked up her schoolwork, and tiptoed out the door.

Neither one of her teammates noticed her leave.

She strode towards the library, hoping to find an empty study room available. All the while she quietly fumed at herself.

 _What is wrong with me? Why does seeing them like that affect me so much? They are my friends, and I should be happy for them, not… whatever this is. Which is most certainly_ not _jealousy._

She entered the library and prowled along the edges, looking for a study room. Every one she came across was occupied, either by groups or individuals, and she was about to resign herself to finding a space out in the common area when a flash of red hair caught her attention.

The last room held Pyrrha of Team JNPR. Weiss wasn't sure if the famous fighter considered her a friend, likely just an acquaintance, and in any case she was so far out of her league to even approach for something as silly as sharing-

She jumped slightly as Pyrrha looked up and directly into her eyes. The redheaded huntress smiled and waved, which Weiss returned weakly while still balancing her books. At Pyrrha's inviting gesture, the platinum-haired girl entered the room, sealing the door behind her.

"Hello!" Pyrrha greeted her cheerfully. "Do you require a place to study also?"

"Oh, well… If you don't mind, that is?"

"Not at all! I welcome the company!"

Weiss smiled hesitantly as she sat her books down. "What, no Team JNPR today?"

"Well," Pyrrha smiled back, seemingly a little forced. "Nora is off with your teammate, and both Jaune and Ren are… bonding. Somehow."

"Bonding?"

"Somehow."

"Hmm. Doing what, manly things?"

Pyrrha shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "So it would seem. And what about you, no Team RWBY?"

"Oh, well, Yang you know about, and the others…" Weiss blushed slightly. "They're, um… in the room. And they're very comfortable."

"I see. And, hence, you were uncomfortable?"

Weiss sighed irritably. "I just don't understand it, I should be happy for them. I mean, they've only started going out as of last weekend, and it's not like they continuously make out or anything, they're just so, so… _comfortable_ together!" She glanced up guiltily. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Please, it's quite alright," Pyrrha smiled. "We're friends, are we not?"

"Um, yes? Yes, yes we are!"

"Then please go ahead, I am here to listen to you."

Weiss looked down at the table filled with papers and open textbooks. "What about your studying?"

"Don't worry, I can use the study break. And it would be a nice distraction if I could help someone else with their troubles."

The heiress nodded, staring at the clasped hands in front of her. "I shouldn't feel this way… I do not need anyone, and yet... "

Pyrrha tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully. "Are you jealous, perhaps?"

"No, I most certainly-" Weiss snapped her mouth shut over her retort when she realized how petulant she sounded. "I suppose maybe I am," she finally admitted, eyes downcast. "But I don't understand why I would feel this way, so… left out?"

"Well, some of that could be expected, with as close as we get within our teams," Pyrrha smiled softly.

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "I don't know why I'm even bothering you with this," she stated, pulling her in emotions. "I'm not usually so unrestrained."

"Perhaps because it is truly bothering you?"

"Perhaps." Weiss snorted inelegantly, which in itself showed her just how unraveled she'd become over the whole matter. "I don't have the time to be lonely."

The redhead laughed gently. "Oh, Weiss, if you were to examine that statement, you might just realize the absurdity of it."

Weiss had to smile slightly at that. "I suppose you're right, but still, I shouldn't be bothering you, and it's not like you're one to ever be lonely, right?"

Pyrrha's genuine smile dropped in a flash, to be replaced by a patently false one. "You might be surprised," she murmured before looking back down at her book.

The heiress could only stare at the other girl in shock. "But… but you're Pyrrha Nikos! You're the one person everybody aspires to be! How could you ever be lonely?"

Pyrrha sighed, marking her place in the book before closing it and looking up at her. "Weiss… I know I am often placed up upon this pedestal, but I have the feeling you might know what it's like to be up on one as well. And how inaccessible it might seem to others to reach such heights."

Weiss sat back in her chair, stunned at the revelation.

_I really do know what it's like, all of the responsibilities and expectations that set me aside, she must feel it tenfold. The Unbeatable Girl, tournament champion of wide acclaim… Who could ever look at her as a normal, accessible girl?_

_Oh my Oum, I'm guilty of looking at her the same way!_

"I am so, so very sorry," Weiss finally whispered.

Pyrrha tilted her head to the side slightly, her brow furrowed. "For what, exactly?"

"I've done that to you as well, treated you as if your fame was who you were… Just like so many others have looked at me as nothing but the Schnee heiress…"

The redhead smiled genuinely once again. "I am so glad you are able to see that," she said.

Weiss nodded decisively, standing up and offering her hand. "Let's start over. My name's Weiss, and I'm in training to be a huntress."

Pyrrha laughed softly, standing as well and gently clasping the platinum-haired girl's hand in her own. "Hello, my name is Pyrrha, and I am also in training to be a huntress. It is a pleasure to meet you."

They shared a quick laugh before sitting down, regarding each other in a new light.

"So have you dated much?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

"A bit," Weiss admitted. "But nobody I was interested in, more like… who my parents picked out for me."

"Oh, how awful," Pyrrha frowned.

"Well, at least it gave me an idea of who I do _not_ want to end up with," Weiss grinned ruefully. "Now that I'm the family rebel, going outside the family business to achieve my own fame as a huntress, perhaps I can be free to find someone on my own." She shook her head at the thought. "If I ever have the time. Perhaps that is what's bothering me so much about the others, that they found a… significant other so easily."

"It's never easy," Pyrrha smiled. "Sometimes, though, it gets tiring waiting for someone to fall out of the sky."

"Oh? But what about you and Jaune?"

"Jaune…" The redhead sighed morosely. "I do not know what to do about him. I admit, I was fairly taken with him the first day we arrived at Beacon, but he can be so incredibly… _dense_ sometimes."

"Is he…" Weiss cleared her throat uncomfortably. "He's not still hung up on me, is he?"

"No, he has figured that out at least. Speaking of which, weren't you and that other boy, Neptune, an item at the dance? That seemed to be the point at which Jaune got over his infatuation."

"Neptune is… nice," Weiss hedged. "And yes, cute. And I honestly did see something in him… at first…"

"At first?"

"Well, I could easily see under his facade that he wasn't nearly as confident as he acted, but therein lies the problem. He can't seem to turn it off!" Weiss flung her hands up in exasperation. "He is _always_ flirting, even without thinking upon it! He was doing it even after he was so sweet in speaking with me at the dance! Some girl I didn't even know from Signal was there, and he was hitting her up with me not three feet away!"

"Ouch," Pyrrha murmured sympathetically.

"And I think that's what finally made me realize, as nice as he is under there, he cannot stop trying to fool others into believing the image he's floating about, much like many of my earlier suitors. So I'd given up on looking, and decided to just concentrate on being the best student, the best huntress… the best teammate I could be." Weiss let her head flop onto the table, her forehead banging onto her textbook. "Until now. And now I can't seem to figure out what to do."

Pyrrha cleared her throat, looking somewhat embarrassed as Weiss looked back up at her again. "This might sound a bit… forward, but do you think, perhaps… is it the sex?"

Weiss was sure her fair skin was blushing furiously, but the only thing that made it bearable was the answering blush on Pyrrha's face.

"I don't… I mean… No!" Weiss shook her head vehemently. "I haven't even…"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to imply…"

"No, no, it's quite alright, I mean…"

"Well, it was terribly rude to assume that…"

"But I didn't give any indication one way or the other…"

"Still, I apologize profusely." Pyrrha looked down at her hands contritely.

Weiss fidgeted in her chair, surprised that she was even willing to continue the conversation. But really, when had she ever felt comfortable enough with a person to discuss something so openly? Not even her sister, Winter, was willing to broach the subject.

"Um… have you?" she finally squeaked out.

"Oh! No, no I have not." If anything, Pyrrha's blush intensified. "I haven't really even… er… dated. Really."

Weiss blinked her eyes at the redheaded champion. "Have you ever kissed someone?" she whispered.

Pyrrha had her eyes firmly averted but simply shook her head in the negative.

"Oh. I see." And somehow, right there, Weiss suddenly felt like she understood the redheaded girl across from her all the better. It was all a facade, though unlike the one Neptune used, this one was far more like her own.

When she'd first arrived at Beacon, she was so intent on proving herself, on proving her ability and her place there, that she'd earned the moniker 'Ice Queen'. Deservedly so, as she'd realized once she allowed herself to open up to her teammates and friends.

But Pyrrha, now, her facade was her armor, it was something built up to protect herself. She was already proven, but more than that she'd been built up into this paragon of what it meant to be a huntress even before she'd enrolled at the school. How could she ever show weakness, or failure, or feelings that would cause her to fall from the pedestal so meticulously crafted for her?

"I thought, though, that Jaune… well, he seemed to be getting along with you better," Weiss mentioned quietly.

"I suppose so," Pyrrha replied with a sigh. "But… he simply does not see me that way. Or he refuses to see it, I still do not know which is the case. But I finally find myself not caring any longer."

They sat in silence for some time, each absorbed with their own thoughts. Eventually, Pyrrha opened her textbook back up, and Weiss followed suit. The heiress' mind, however, wasn't able to concentrate on the words in front of her.

"It's not about the... sex," she finally murmured, stumbling over the word.

"Pardon?"

"Even if I were to have had it to miss it… Yang and Nora, sure they sleep together, and do so often." Weiss let out an irritated huff of air. "Based on how often they request use of our room, anyway."

Pyrrha stared at her with wide eyes. "How often do they use your room?"

"At least three times a week. Yours?"

"Easily that much. And I know they've snuck off to a motel on the weekend."

"How can they even afford that?"

"Nora has some money from her inheritance."

"Oh. Handy, that."

"Indeed."

"In any case," Weiss continued. "I know, well, I am assuming but I am fairly certain, that Ruby and Blake have not… done so."

"Oh, I see."

"But it's just how they are together… it's not sexual, like Yang gets with Nora in their flirting sometimes, it's just so…"

"Comfortable?" Pyrrha laughed gently as she used Weiss' frequent refrain.

"Yes, exactly. They are an incredibly comfortable couple, and it's… sweet, it really is, to see it." Weiss sighed again, looking back down at her book. "Perhaps that's all I want, really, is just someone special to spend time with."

"I can understand that." Pyrrha smiled at her sweetly. "I suppose that's all I look for as well."

Weiss slammed her book shut irritably. "I can't even concentrate on this anymore. My mind keeps shifting from the two cuddling up in my room to how much fun Yang and Nora are having at the carnival tonight."

"Well, then, why don't you?"

The platinum-haired girl looked askance at Pyrrha. "Er, why don't I what?"

"Go to the carnival!"

"I…" Weiss was suddenly taken aback by a thought, one which seemingly made all the sense in Remnant. "Okay, but only if you come with me."

"Me?" Pyrrha asked, her voice an octave higher.

"Yes, you. Us two, at the carnival. Two unapproachable girls, out having fun." Weiss grinned, warming up to the idea more and more. "What do you say?"

"I… would love to!" Pyrrha laughed. "It sounds grand!"

They stacked their books up and left them back in Team JNPR's room, which was still unoccupied. Weiss didn't bother stopping in her room, but did thoughtfully leave a message with her team leader just to let her know where she was going. Though she did leave off the part about with whom she was going with.

One short walk, airship hop, and cab ride later, the two girls were striding down the brightly-lit carnival. It was teeming with a crowd of humanity and Faunus, mostly families and adolescents, though she did note some of the Beacon students in attendance.

"So, what shall we try first?" Pyrrha asked, slightly awed by the bright hustle of the event.

"Um, well…" Weiss shook her head. Just because she'd never been to one of these before wasn't any reason to be bashful now. She let her usual assertive self take over and grabbed her friend by the hand. "Let's try this ride over here!"

Ten minutes later saw them standing in another line for tickets.

"Well, how was I supposed to know we needed tickets ahead of time," Weiss grumped.

"It's fine, really," Pyrrha giggled, her eyes twinkling merrily.

Eventually, they were able to re-enter the queue for the ride, and soon enough found themselves buckled into a snug bench for two on the roller-coaster.

"Have you been on one of these before?" Pyrrha asked somewhat nervously.

"N- no, but I'm sure they're very safe," Weiss stammered in reply, anxiously looking at the steep incline they were beginning to climb. "And if it gets too bad, we could always ask them to stop, could we not?"

"I don't think we can, no," Pyrrha replied, her bright emerald eyes growing wider the higher up they climbed.

"Well, that's just silly not to have such a precaution," Weiss stated, her breathing becoming more rapid. "I mean, what if- _eep_!"

They had crested the top of the lift hill, and she was suddenly frozen in fear.

The coaster dropped, as did their stomachs, and the pair of girls unabashedly screamed in terror along with the other riders as the car dipped, swerved, climbed and twirled upside-down in some parts. By the time the coaster glided to a stop, Weiss numbly realized that she'd grabbed Pyrrha's hand in a death-grip that was fervently returned.

"Oh. My. Oum!" Pyrrha breathed, a wide smile forming on her face as she turned to look at Weiss. "That was amazing!"

Weiss giggled, turning it into a full-blown laugh as the rush hit her. She tugged on Pyrrha's hand as they made to exit the car. "Do you want to go again?" she asked, feeling a bit like a child in her eagerness.

The redhead giggled and nodded with just as much enthusiasm. They scampered out the exit and hopped right back in line to wait for the next coaster. It wasn't until then that Weiss realized she'd yet to let go of Pyrrha's hand.

She glanced down at their entwined fingers and then back up at Pyrrha. The redhead shot her a small grin and then faced forward again, but not before giving her hand a little reassuring squeeze.

Weiss smiled as well, thoroughly enjoying their time together so far, and pushed her curiosity regarding the hand-holding off to the side. _So what if we're holding hands? We're friends, and we're out having fun. There's nothing wrong with that._

A second time on the roller coaster was their limit, however. This time, heading off of the ride with a weaving stagger, the two girls had their arms around each other, laughing hysterically as they tried to support one another.

"Oohh, I feel as if I've had something a little too strong to drink!" Pyrrha giggled.

"Well, I for one need something to eat if my stomach is going to calm down," Weiss declared, spying a stand selling various confectionaries. She slipped her arm out from around the redhead but let her hand grab Pyrrha's, tugging her along. "Come on, Pyrrha!" she called out merrily.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" her friend laughed, jogging along behind.

They ended up with some sort of pastry covered in powdered sugar, as well as another item that had Weiss looking at it speculatively.

"This seems like something that would be more to Ruby's taste," she stated, eyeing the chocolate-coated banana she held in front of her face.

"I think it might be the only way to get fruit in her," Pyrrha laughed as she tried to take a bite of the pastry. Unfortunately, her exhale caused the powdered sugar to fly everywhere, coating the two of them in the white powdery substance.

The redhead looked at Weiss, slightly horrified, but Weiss found herself doubling over in laughter.

"Oh… oh, Pyrrha, your hair almost looks like mine now!" she snickered before sneezing violently, sending another plume of powdered sugar flying about.

"I think perhaps I have the more dangerous meal," Pyrrha finally laughed, vainly trying to brush the sugar off of her clothes.

Weiss caught her hand with a smile. "Don't bother, really, it's just going to get all over you again."

"So I'm a lost cause, then?" Pyrrha asked, a teasing gleam in her eye.

"Completely hopeless," Weiss agreed with a smirk.

They managed to finish their treats without further disaster, sharing bites from each other's food. After that, they attempted a few of the carnival games, though they quickly ascertained that they were seriously rigged in the favor of the carnival itself.

"Pyrrha, you are an expert marksman," Weiss declared irritably. "There is no way possible you could not have hit that target."

"It's fine, Weiss," Pyrrha smiled, wrapping her arm around her shorter friend's shoulders. "I don't mind, really. I had fun."

"Well," the heiress mused, looking about. "We only have another hour or so until it closes. Where else would you like to try?"

Pyrrha glanced over at her shyly. "I've… I always wanted to try the Ferris Wheel."

"Ferris wheel it is!" Weiss declared, wrapping her arm around Pyrrha as well as they marched forward.

There wasn't much of a line for the wheel this late, and it used up almost the last of their tickets. They got a small car to themselves, snuggled up close to each other as the wind began to pick up slightly.

The girls peered out into the night as they rose up into the sky, the rest of the Vale spread out below them and the tower of Beacon looming in the distance.

"It's very beautiful up here," Pyrrha said softly, her arm still around Weiss.

"It is," Weiss replied with a little bit of wonderment. "Things just seem so… insignificant from up here."

"Perhaps they do," Pyrrha murmured, leaning her head onto the top of Weiss's.

They sat like that in silence for a few minutes as the wheel went around in a complete loop before halting them up at the top, where their car swayed gently in the breeze.

"Weiss," the redhead began hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"Could… could this have been considered a date?"

Weiss pursed her lips as she briefly considered that. "I… suppose it could, yes…"

"Good," Pyrrha sighed, giving the platinum-haired girl a gentle squeeze. "Because this was the best first date I could ever have asked for."

That made her smile as she tucked her head into the taller girl's shoulder. _This feels so… so right, I suppose? Is this the feeling I was always missing with all those spoiled and pampered elite children I was forced to go out with?_

"You know, Pyrrha," she mused out loud. "I think this is my first real date, too."

"Really? But…"

"No, those were all… just arranged, like play dates, but as a teen. This, though, feels so much more… genuine."

"Did you have a good time?"

"I did, I had an absolutely wonderful time." Weiss placed her free hand over the one Pyrrha had resting on her own lap. "I don't want it to end," she added softly.

"Well…" Pyrrha cleared her throat as she enclosed Weiss' hand with her own. "What if we… did this again, sometime?"

"The carnival?"

"Well, no, I mean… dated?"

"As in, go out on more dates?"

Weiss could feel Pyrrha's head nod as it brushed up against her forehead.

_We are so alike in more ways than I ever considered… and both of us so lonely, looking for someone just to be with… Could this actually work? The two of us? Is that what she's asking, because I'm beginning to appreciate the opportunity to do this more often with her…_

"Just so we're clear," Weiss clarified softly, tightening her grip on Pyrrha's hand. "Are you saying you would like to… date me? As in, go out?"

"As in..." Pyrrha murmured, placing a hesitant kiss on the crown on Weiss' head. "As in dating, yes… If I'm not being too forward, that is…"

"No, no it's not too forward at all…" Weiss murmured back. "And I would very much like that, yes." She jerked slightly as the wheel started back up again, swinging down to slowly disgorge its last passengers before the carnival closed again.

The pair walked slowly back to the airship, foregoing the cab ride in order to linger outside longer. The chill had subsided somewhat, not that Weiss ever minded the cold overmuch. She and Pyrrha talked aimlessly, about themselves and where they came from, their hopes and dreams, keeping the conversation light and cheery. Their fingers remained entwined together all through the ride back and even through campus, Weiss by that point too groggy to even muster up a care for who saw them.

They stood in the hallway in between their rooms, looking into each other's sleepy eyes.

"So, have you any plans tomorrow night?" Weiss asked with a gentle smile.

"I was hoping to spend it with you," Pyrrha smiled back at her, causing the heiress to wonder how she'd ever been able to mistake this genuine expression of happiness for the fake one she had to plaster on her face so often.

_I think I found my new mission here at Beacon. I will find a way to make that smile the only one I ever see, Pyrrha Nikos._

**Saturday Morning**

Weiss opened her eyes slowly, blinking the grit out of them and wondering why it was so bright out. Also, since when was the window moved to the other side of her bed?

With a start, she realized that not only was she not in her room, she had a strong but decidedly feminine arm snaked around her waist from behind.

The platinum-haired girl tried to keep her movements very slow and unobtrusive as she scouted out her current situation. Yes, she was in Team JNPR's room, specifically in Pyrrha's bed. Nora's bed across the room was empty, as would be expected, but Ren was in his, sleeping peacefully on his back.

She looked down to confirm that, while they were still above the sheets, she was also still clothed in the same outfit from the previous night.

Her slight movement must have been enough to wake Pyrrha, as evidenced from the sharp inhalation of breath, the redhead quickly taking in the situation.

Surprisingly, Weiss felt an almost eerie sort of calm settle over her as she realized this didn't bother her in the slightest. "Shhh," she murmured, moving her hand over to cover Pyrrha's. "Ren's still sleeping."

"Weiss, I am so very sorry, I don't know how-"

She turned her head to smile at her new girlfriend, halting the impassioned whispering. "It's fine, Pyrrha. I believe I came in last night to get my books, sat on your bed, and we just fell right asleep."

"Well," Pyrrha murmured back, relief showing in her emerald eyes. "We were very tired."

"It's to be expected."

"Naturally."

"Weiss, your scroll has been beeping for the last hour," a male voice groaned from behind the couple. Both Weiss and Pyrrha stared at each other, eyes wide, as they heard Jaune roll over to evidently face the wall. "Can you stop it from doing that, please?" he continued in a sleepy mumble.

"Sorry, Jaune!" Weiss whispered, blushing furiously.

Pyrrha stifled a giggle. "I am so mortified," she snickered quietly.

Weiss shook her head bemusedly as she fumbled in her outfit for her scroll. Not finding it there, she peered around the room until she could hear a soft _beep_ coming from under the bed.

Pyrrha held onto her waist while she draped herself over, fumbling around until she could retrieve the scroll.

"I must not have left it silenced," Weiss frowned. "Shows how out of it I was…"

She noted a number of messages, one from Yang and several from Ruby. She checked those from her team leader first, most of which were simply inquiring as to where she was so late, until the last one which stated that she'd talked to Jaune and not to worry about it, but they were welcome to sleep in her own bed at any time. It ended with an inordinate amount of smiley faces.

Weiss smiled softly to herself and glanced back to Pyrrha who was reading over her shoulder, chin resting on her shoulder. "Well, it seems that cat is already out of the bag, so to speak."

"Are you concerned?" Pyrrha asked softly.

"No… not really, no. I'm sure Yang will find a way to tease me about it, now that I have a… a… girlfriend."

Pyrrha grinned widely and snuck in a quick peck on her cheek. "I like the sound of that. But wasn't there one from Yang as well?"

"Oh, right, wonder what she needed…" She scrolled down to the single message from her, entitled 'adorable'. As she opened it, her eyes widened at the covert picture taken of Pyrrha and Weiss, walking through the carnival hand-in-hand.

"Well…" Pyrrha giggled softly. "They were there as well, were they not?"

"Ugh, yes, but now she's going to be all smug about it, and use it as blackmail somehow…"

"Weiss, look at the message itself."

She did so, and immediately noted that the message had been sent to all of Team RWBY, all of Team JNPR, as well as anyone else inside and out of Beacon that they were acquainted with.

Weiss was fairly sure that, if she had Yang's semblance, the bed would have caught fire as she gritted out her next words.

"I. Will. End. Her."

After Weiss stomped out of the room, quietly so as not to wake the others of Team JNPR, Pyrrha reached into the pocket on her skirt. In it was a single ticket left over from the carnival. She smiled softly to herself, holding it up to the light as she lay back on her pillow, cherishing the momento from her wonderful first date.

Weiss' bad mood only lasted the width of the hallway. She reached into her pocket for the scroll she'd slipped there only to feel the ticket she'd saved as well. Her scowl slowly transformed into a soft smile as she held it up between her delicate fingers, somewhat bemusedly.

 _Well, how about that. I have a girlfriend._ Her smile blossomed into a grin. _I wonder what we could do for a second date?_

It was certainly a much better way to occupy her mind than plotting revenge against Yang.

There was plenty of time for that. Such activities were to be just as meticulously planned as the other, and she resolved to make the both of them memorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's not much, really, as far as the romance goes, just the beginning of it really. And I think I might just continue the tale from here. Weiss and Pyrrha are a tougher nut to crack, but interestingly they really are well suited for each other. And as I wrote this in continuation of Pink Lemonade and Just A Little Ladybug, I'm sure any more would build on these as well. If I'd really thought about it from the start, I would have chained them together as chapters in a single story. Oh, well.


	4. Snow Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss has been dating Pyrrha for a week now and wants to do something special for their next outing. Even with help from her teammates, can she fulfill her own expectations of perfection?

**Beacon Academy**  
**Thursday Evening**

Weiss liked to think of herself as a meticulous planner. It was evidenced in her schoolwork, her teamwork, and her life. She was most certainly not an 'off-the-cuff' type of girl. Granted, she needed to be ready for whatever was thrown at her, particularly on the battlefield, but planning beforehand reduced the amount of improvisation required.

Hence her current dilemma.

She had, amazingly enough in her mind, been dating Pyrrha for almost a week now. Since the carnival the weekend before, they had been out on two other dates, both of which the redhead had chosen with a certain amount of trepidation that the heiress actually found endearing. She did enjoy the movie, which surprised her as she didn't consider herself the action genre type, even considering the line of work she was training for. And the midday coffee shop break was nice, being able to get away from the stress of school even if only for one afternoon.

But for this weekend, she asked if she could do the planning. Weiss had still not kissed the beautiful amazonian redhead, and as it would be Pyrrha's first, she wanted someplace special to do so.

Only, she hadn't the faintest idea where to go.

Most of the immediate places around the Vale seemed far too banal for her. The weather wasn't quite nice enough for a picnic, as the fall wind had picked up significantly.

And so, with her pride firmly swallowed, she requested the help of those whom she reluctantly admitted were more experts in the field than she.

"There's a gun show this weekend!" Ruby said excitedly from her usual perch next to Blake on the Faunus' bed.

The raven-haired girl snorted and swatted the thigh of the team leader. "That's not very romantic."

"Well, I thought it was when you asked me to go with you."

"Yes, but that's you. And you're… unique that way."

"Yeah," Ruby admitted quietly. "I'm kinda socially awkward like that, I enjoy guns more than people sometimes."

"It's not awkward," Blake admonished gently. "It's adorable."

Ruby's face lit up like one of Weiss' glyphs at the compliment, while Nora snickered. "You two are the adorable ones," she giggled from where she swayed, hanging upside-down from Yang's bunk. It seemed to be her favorite position while in the room, when not sleeping or snuggled up with Yang.

"Hey, what about a concert?" Yang asked, her violet eyes twinkling from where she lay on her bed, legs crossed over on top of Nora's to hold her in place.

"I… I don't know what kind of music she likes," Weiss admitted bashfully. "It hasn't really come up yet."

"Still, that's a really good idea," Blake opined. "Even if it's the music you like, she may like it as well."

"But it… it's not the ideal setting for…" Weiss blushed furiously from where she sat with her legs curled under her on her bunk facing the others.

"Weiss," Yang asked softly. "What exactly did you want to accomplish on this date?"

The platinum-haired girl sighed at her teammate's perceptiveness, but still felt slightly uncomfortable, even with how close she'd become with the others, to reveal her true objective.

"Oh my Oum, are you gonna give Pyrrha her first kiss?" Nora squealed excitedly.

Four sets of eyes pivoted to stare at the pinkette, her short orange hair spiked up on her head from gravity. Even Yang leaned down to look at her curiously.

"What? We talk!" Nora said defensively.

"Do you?" Weiss asked somewhat accusingly. "And what exactly do you talk about?"

"Ummm…" Nora blinked her turquoise eyes. "I am I gonna get in trouble if I answer truthfully?"

"Probably not," Weiss admitted.

"Is… Pyrrha gonna get in trouble?"

Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, nobody will be in trouble, Nora."

"Oh, well then… yeah, we talk about pretty much everything. Including how cute she thinks you are."

At that, Weiss blushed even more brightly, even as she knew she sported a rather shy grin. "She… she said that?"

"Yep!" the pinkette giggled, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. "So don't worry about it too much, huh? She's gonna love it no matter what!"

"Nora?" Blake asked with a curious smile. "When did you get so wise?"

"Hey, just because I'm a spaz most of the time, doesn't mean I don't listen! I can be very considerate!"

"I'll say you can," Yang grinned, running her finger along the pinkette's thigh and causing her to squeal and squirm from where she hung.

"Yang, please," Weiss sighed, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Princess," Yang chuckled. "But this gorgeous girl here is right, just go with your gut."

"But I don't know what that would be!" she exclaimed nervously. "I… Everything I always did had plenty of money attached to it, and I don't want that to be the basis of our relationship!"

"But Weiss, you do have money," Ruby objected. "Well, your family does, so you do. Why not use it?"

Weiss shook her head vehemently as she bounced to her feet, pacing about the room irritably. "You don't understand," she said, knowing a scowl was fixed upon her face but unwilling to force it away. "The only three times we've been on dates, it's been small things, activities without a price tag. And I treasure those, I really do, they make me realize what a real relationship can be. Unlike all the other stuck-up trust-fund chasers and rich kids my parents thought would be 'appropriate' for me to date. I don't want our relationship to be so… so... " She stopped and flung her hands up in exasperation. "I don't know! Mundane? No, that's not the right word, mundane is fine, so long as it's with her…"

She paused in her ranting to glance over at the suspiciously quiet bunk opposite her. All four girls were now in identical poses, even Nora having ceased her incessant swinging like a monkey Faunus. They were on their stomachs, feet in the air and chins propped on their hands, grinning madly.

"What?" she asked flatly.

"You are _so_ in love," Yang snickered.

"I… Oh, shut up," Weiss barked even more irritably. All that did was cause another round of snickers from the assembled girls.

"Seriously, Weiss, you really are head over heels for her, aren't you?" Blake questioned with her usual quiet intensity. "I've not seen you get this worked up over a person before."

The platinum-haired girl sank down to the edge of her bed, her scowl replaced by a worried frown. "I just… I don't want to mess this up," she confessed.

"You won't," Nora promised. "She really does think the world of you. Don't forget this is all very new to her, also."

"Which is why I want it to be perfect!" Weiss proclaimed, throwing herself back on her bed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, really, for being, so… difficult about this," she continued with uncharacteristic contriteness as she stared at the underside of Ruby's bunk. "I know I asked for your help, and I appreciate it, really I do."

"Wow, Weiss," Ruby murmured. "You really _do_ like Pyrrha, to apologize like that."

The heiress snorted softly. "Dolt," she sighed affectionately. She sat back up again to peer at the others with her ice-blue eyes. "I don't want to mess this up," she repeated.

"You won't," Nora replied again with a cheery smile.

"Okay, look, if you really want my advice…" Yang began with an unusually serious look on her face. "Don't worry about the money aspect. Do something with her that you like to do, something that gives her some insight on what you care about, or about your past. Like Ruby at a gun show, or when Nora took me on a picnic among the red sap trees in the Forever Fall forest."

"That was sticky fun," Nora giggled. "Especially when we-"

Yang clamped her hand over Nora's mouth firmly but with a reminiscent twinkle in her eye. "Or like when Blake took Ruby to the Faunus rally last week," she continued, unfazed. "Get the idea?"

"I think so…" Weiss replied slowly, an idea beginning to form in her head. "I think… yes, I think I have an idea. Which, due to the presence of a certain snitch in our group…"

Nora moved Yang's hand away from her mouth briefly. "Guilty as charged!" she sang out merrily.

"...I'm not going to divulge further. But…" Weiss looked around at her team and friends. "Thank you all, so very much, for your help," she finished sincerely.

"Anytime, Weiss," her silver-eyed partner replied with a wide smile.

**Friday Morning**

"So, do we have plans for this weekend?" Pyrrha asked Weiss with a soft smile, sitting across from her at the breakfast table. Teams RWBY and JNPR had adjusted their seating arrangements, with the cross-team dating currently underway, so that they all sat at the same table now.

"We do," Weiss said primly but with a humorous glint in her eye. "As I'm sure your little spy informed you already."

"Well, she _is_ cheap to bribe," the redhead giggled unrepentantly.

"Pancakes!" Nora cheered from the other end of the table.

Weiss chuckled lightly. "The actual activity is a bit of a surprise. I hope you don't mind, but I… well, I thought we might get away from the school for the weekend."

"Oh, really?" Pyrrha asked, leaning forward with her chin in her hand. "A weekend getaway?"

"It's… it's not too forward, is it?" Weiss blanched, realizing that perhaps she should have been more up-front with some aspects of her meticulous planning.

"Not at all," the redheaded girl replied with a soft smile, her emerald eyes shining with some unspoken emotion. "It truly does sound grand. What should I pack for?"

"Cold weather," Weiss stated with a confident smile.

Pyrrha's smile widened. "Should I… pack a warm blanket as well, or… will I be warm enough, um, at night?" She was blushing furiously at her bold questioning, which Weiss was sure she was answering just as brightly if the heat emanating from her cheeks was any indication.

"Um… no, I think we will be… sufficiently warm at night," she murmured abashedly.

"Weiss is gonna get sooommme…" Yang snickered from where she sat across from Nora.

"Oh, yes, that reminds me," Weiss stated calmly, pulling out her scroll as she rose from her seat. "Thank you, Yang." She nonchalantly typed a few rapid keystrokes in her handheld device before returning it to her skirt pocket. "Shall we?" she asked her girlfriend.

"I would be delighted," Pyrrha answered formally as she stood as well. The two of them walked off with their trays, leaving the others to look at each other curiously.

"Now, what was that all about…" Yang mused, only to be interrupted by the sound of everyone's scroll beeping, indicating incoming messages. The blonde bruiser's violet eyes widened at the photo, labeled 'even more adorable' and sent to all of their friends. It was a picture of Yang and Nora, entwined and sleeping soundly on her bunk, their hair in disarray and drool sliding down their cheeks as they were captured mid-snore.

"Why, that little…" Yang began vehemently, before breaking off into a chuckle that was echoed by the others at the table. "Well played, Weiss, well played."

**Friday Evening**

Pyrrha arrived at the airship depot with her suitcase in hand. "Hello, Weiss! Are we ready?" she asked excitedly, her emerald eyes bright with anticipation.

Weiss nodded with just as much enthusiasm. Whereas her redheaded girlfriend was dressed in red pants that emphasized her long legs with a warm brown overshirt, the heiress opted for a long dress in a light blue with her usual bolero jacket over it. She nervously shifted from one foot to the other as Pyrrha approached her.

"I just… I want this weekend to be special, Pyrrha," she admitted softly once the redhead was within reach.

"But it will be," Pyrrha smiled as she encased the shorter girl in a warm hug. "Because you will be with me."

"You are so sweet," Weiss murmured into her shoulder before pulling back. "I have an airship waiting for us, right this way."

The girls strode off, holding hands while carrying their bags in their other hand. At the end of a terminal was the private entrance for Schnee corporate use.

"Oh, I see," Pyrrha smiled. "Using the family transportation?"

"Well, it was easier," Weiss admitted nervously. "I mean, I didn't want to spend a lot on this, you know? So, I just called in a few favors…"

"Hey." Pyrrha pulled Weiss to a stop and looked down at her intently. "I don't mind, really. I'm flattered you went to all this trouble, and I'm just excited to be spending it with you."

Weiss smiled up at her, an odd feeling bubbling up in her chest as she gazed into the emerald orbs that had begun to seriously occupy her waking thoughts.

"All right," she replied softly, giving her hand a tug to resume their walk.

They boarded the craft with little conversation, other than for Weiss to politely request that they be off to their destination. The girls were sitting side-by-side, Pyrrha next to the window, while the airship rotated its engines and smoothly lifted off.

"Well, I certainly cannot complain about these seats," the redhead smiled. "My rear end is eternally grateful for the change."

Weiss smiled as she opened her mouth to make a smart remark about said posterior, but she quickly clamped down on the impulse. _What is wrong with me? I am not as crude as Yang to make such tasteless remarks, Even if she does have a very nice… No! Stop that!_

The heiress simply smiled back and nodded before returning her gaze out the window past her girlfriend.

"So… Do I get to know where we are heading now?" Pyrrha asked shyly.

"Oh! Yes, yes you may." Weiss sat up, keeping one hand ensconced within Pyrrha's while the other fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "I wanted to, well… There is a place that is very special to me, it was the one place I could go with my sister, Winter, and escape the critical eye of my parents. I always looked forward to our wintertide holidays, but we haven't done so since she left home for military service…"

Pyrrha nodded and smiled softly. "I am so very honored you wanted to share this with me," she whispered.

The heiress glanced over, her pale blue eyes bright with emotion. "And I know I should have asked before if you would even want to do this, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise… But the actual place is a ski resort in the mountains of Atlas."

"Oh!" Pyrrha's smiled widened. "How wonderful!"

"Do you… know how to ski?"

"I do not, no… but I am willing to learn!" The redhead's smile became somewhat bashful as she added, "...So long as you are with me, of course."

"Absolutely," Weiss smiled back, squeezing her hand. "That's the whole point of this weekend, after all. Being together."

**Whitetail Ski Resort, Atlas**

Weiss didn't think things could have been more of a disaster if she'd actively tried to sabotage her own efforts.

For starters, when they arrived at the mountain resort, she was struck by the absence of a certain environmental necessity.

"Where is all the snow?" she demanded once she confronted the front desk receptionist.

"I am very sorry, Miss Schnee," the woman replied nervously. "We haven't had a natural snowfall yet this season, and the artificial machine is still down for repairs."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling to rid herself of the building stress. "Very well," she said quietly. "Can I assume our room is ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," the receptionist assured her, causing her hopes to rise, only for them to be dashed once more. "In another hour or so, unfortunately. We are short-staffed this weekend, being right before the skiing season actually starts…"

The heiress closed her eyes, mentally counting to herself to keep under control. _I am a Schnee, I will not lose my temper over something this trivial…_ She was startled out of her reverie by a strong but undoubtedly feminine arm that slipped around her waist.

"It will be fine," Pyrrha reassured both her and the receptionist. "Perhaps we could take a walk until our room is ready?"

"Oh, yes ma'am," the brunette receptionist replied eagerly. "All of the grounds are open, as is the lounge and the common area behind us. The restaurant, unfortunately, is also closed undergoing renovations for the big opening next weekend…"

Weiss could only smile weakly, feeling the entire trip begin to crumble under her. "That… will be fine, thank you."

She slowly made her way to the rear common room, Pyrrha's arm firmly around her waist.

"I'm so sorry, Pyrrha," she bemoaned. "I should have checked the calendar, I didn't even think about that beforehand…"

"Hey," Pyrrha said softly, halting in place and pulling the heiress against her soft chest. "I am here to spend time with you, my girlfriend. That is all. Please, please do not beat yourself up over this."

Weiss sighed, her eyes closed as she leaned into the comforting hug. "How can you possibly be so patient with me?" she asked quietly.

"Because I… I care for you," Pyrrha whispered. "Very much. And… and I am just happy to be able to get away with you, and experience a place that has special meaning to you."

The platinum-haired girl sniffled slightly, not realizing she'd begin to tear up. "You are the one who has special meaning to me," she whispered back. "And… no matter what, I'm happy to be here with you."

The two girls leaned back to gaze into each other's eyes, sharing a smile.

"I am glad to hear that," Pyrrha murmured.

Weiss nodded happily but then frowned slightly. "Even if we can't eat in the restaurant. I really did want to have my favorite meal, this was the only place I could ever have it."

They resumed their walk through the mostly-deserted common room, lined with couches, overstuffed chairs, and paintings of nature. A wide stone fireplace graced each wall, the warm hearths blazing.

"Could you not have asked someone else to make it for you?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

"It wouldn't be the same," Weiss smiled in reminiscence. "Yes, I could have asked the family chef, but it was the atmosphere here that had a lot to do with how enjoyable it was."

"What was it? The dish, I mean?"

Weiss laughed softly. "You will think it is foolish."

"No, not at all! Please, tell me?"

"Very well. It was a pizza, done with their wonderful sauce, but with apples and bacon on top."

Pyrrha glanced at her amusedly. "Apples? On Pizza?"

Weiss tapped her lightly on the forearm. "Yes. And it was delicious. I have so many memories of bonding with Winter over one, sitting at our special table in the corner…"

"It does sound grand," Pyrrha smiled.

"Yes, well…" Weiss sighed as they exited onto the terrace, overlooking the breathtakingly beautiful, albeit unseasonably warm, vista. "At least the view is still special."

"Oh, my," Pyrrha breathed, entranced as she moved to lean against the railing. "It is certainly that."

Weiss was watching her girlfriend avidly, her mind doing somersaults as it chased itself in circles with recriminations and questions, whether or not she could still salvage the weekend, and when the perfect time would be to finally kiss the gorgeous amazonian redhead that had so bewitched her.

Pyrrha laughed lightly as she watched a large bird soar majestically as it rode the warm air currents. "It is so very beautiful here," she mused.

"Not as beautiful as you," Weiss murmured, before clapping her hands over her mouth, amazed that she had let the thought slip out.

The redheaded girl, however, turned to her with a pleased smile and a light blush. "I… Thank you," she said quietly. "But I am not the only one giving this beauty competition, you know."

The platinum-haired girl's blue eyes widened behind her hand. Pyrrha laughed, reaching up to pull her hand down.

"You think I am beautiful?" Weiss whispered incredulously.

"How could I not," Pyrrha whispered back, cupping the heiress' cheek with one hand while the other intertwined its fingers once more with Weiss'.

They stood like that for some time, staring at each other in soft wonderment.

_Oh, sweet Oum, how I want to kiss her right now… But is this the right setting? I wanted to wait until we were in our room, but perhaps that would be too intimate? Or perhaps…_

"Weiss?"

"Um, yes, Pyrrha?"

"Can I… I mean, may we… That is, I would really like to…" The redhead was blushing furiously as her gaze riveted onto Weiss' lips for a brief instant.

"Oh," Weiss breathed.

"Of course, if I'm being too forward…"

Weiss shook her head as she moved her free hand up onto Pyrrha's shoulder. "I like it when you are forward."

"You do?"

Weiss nodded, rising up on her tiptoes. "I very much do… and… and I very much like you, Pyrrha…"

"I… Weiss, I…" Pyrrha blushed even brighter as she darted in, sealing her lips against Weiss'.

The heiress wasn't sure what to expect. She'd kissed a few people in the past, perfunctory ones and a couple of overtly possessive ones that obviously wanted more from her. But this kiss, this tender moment she was sharing with Pyrrha, her girlfriend, it was so… so…

 _Perfect_.

Weiss let out a soft moan and let go of Pyrrha's hand so that she might wrap both of her arms around the tall redhead's neck, pulling them closer together. Pyrrha eagerly responded, moving one hand around her waist to do the same.

They stood like like for some time, lost in the moment, until Weiss gave in to her more brash inclination and opened her mouth slightly, pushing against Pyrrha's lips with an inquisitive tongue.

Once again the redhead responded enthusiastically, opening her own lips to allow Weiss in, her hand fisting at the back of Weiss' jacket.

After a while, though, Weiss could feel a wetness on her cheek that was not of her own. She broke the contact, panting lightly but shocked as she saw that Pyrrha's bright emerald eyes were filled with tears.

"Pyrrha… what's wrong?" Weiss asked fearfully, wondering what she had done incorrectly. Perhaps she pushed her too far, too fast? Was this not the proper setting after all, was she having regrets now?

"Nothing at all, Weiss," Pyrrha replied tenderly, running her hand through her white tresses. "I'm just so… so very happy right now."

"Oh," Weiss smiled, her spirits restored again. "Was it… was it okay?"

"More than," Pyrrha breathed, leaning down for another, shorter but no less sweet, kiss. She touched her forehead to Weiss', the redhead's ever-present bronze hairpiece cool against her skin.

"So," Weiss murmured eventually. "Would you like to see some more?"

"I would love to," Pyrrha replied. "So long as we may continue this, er… discussion later."

"Now _that_ ," Weiss grinned, reaching up to give her another quick peck on the lips, "would be my pleasure."

They continued their walk around the grounds as the light began to fade. Pyrrha expressed her continued enchantment with the resort, much to Weiss' pleasure.

Eventually, they ended up back at the reception desk, where a very nervous brunette woman was practically wringing her hands.

"Oh, Miss Schnee… I am so, so very sorry…"

Weiss raised her hand with a gentle smile, her mood improved to the point where she was almost resigned to whatever else happened on her planned retreat. "Please, it's alright, just tell me."

"Well… your usual room, it was found to have some… issues… and won't be available for the evening."

Weiss sighed good-naturedly, glancing at her girlfriend and sharing a chuckle. "Well, of course. Do you by chance have any other suites available?"

"The manager, well, he expressed his most deepest apologies, and offered a free upgrade for you."

"That was very nice of him," Pyrrha smiled.

"Which suite?" Weiss asked.

"Er, the only other one we have ready is the honeymoon suite…"

Weiss blinked at the woman, uncertain if she'd heard her correctly. Then she paled, thinking it would surely scare Pyrrha off with such an indecent room, but she was surprised to hear her girlfriend laugh heartedly.

"I think that would be lovely," Pyrrha said, her eyes twinkling merrily. Weiss joined in her laughter, giving the woman a nod.

"Please, have our bags sent up, we'll retire to there after dinner."

"Yes, ma'am. Here are the keys. As I said, the lounge is open, though they have a rather limited menu…"

"It's fine, really," Weiss smiled. "Thank you."

She linked her arm with Pyrrha, but as they entered the lounge she realized she had a certain biological business to attend to.

"Could you find us a table, please?" she asked the redhead. "I just need to use the restroom."

"Of course!" Pyrrha smiled.

Weiss took her time, using the long mirror to freshen up afterwards.

_Okay, I think this is going well so far… At least, she seemed to enjoy her first kiss… I know I certainly did…_

She touched her lips with her slender fingers, almost in wonderment. She could still almost taste her on there, the slight hint of her cherry chapstick still lingering. Her ice blue eyes staring back at her were soft with wonderment.

_This… this feeling… I really am falling for her hard, aren't I?_

She let herself grin at her reflection, thinking of how, even with as dismally as her perfectly planned weekend had been going so far, the couple was still able to enjoy just being with each other.

_Well, how about that. The others were right after all._

Finally, she left the restroom to spy her redheaded girlfriend sitting at a small table set off to the side in an intimately dark corner. Her alabaster skin was illuminated by the flicker of a single candle, causing Weiss to catch her breath.

_Oh my Oum, she really is beautiful…_

"Hello," Pyrrha, smiled warmly as she pulled a chair out for her. "Won't you join me?"

"I would love to," Weiss smiled back, sliding into her chair and leaning over towards the tall redhead. "If you weren't reserving this seat for anyone else, that is."

"Only you," Pyrrha breathed as she met her halfway, tenderly caressing her lips with her own silken ones.

Weiss wasn't sure how long they were occupied like that, but she bolted upright when there was a polite clearing of a throat nearby.

"Pardon me, Miss Schnee," the waiter smoothly interjected without even batting an eye. "Would you care to order your beverage?"

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha giggled. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to drink."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Weiss blushed, smoothing her hair back from her face. "I would like just a glass of water, please. Oh, wait," she called out before he could leave, turning to her girlfriend with a gleam in her eye. "Since we're on a date, should we order some wine?"

"That would be lovely," Pyrrha grinned. "I only ordered water for myself as well."

"Very well, then, please bring us our waters as well as two glasses of the house wine."

"Of course, Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos." The man bowed elegantly and walked off, leaving Weiss to glance over at the other girl with amusement.

"Already gotten to know the staff here?" she asked humorously.

"Well, I did talk to a few," Pyrrha admitted with a sly smile. "In fact, I already ordered our meal."

Weiss blinked her eyes uncertainly. "You… you did?"

The redhead placed her hand atop Weiss', closing her strong fingers over the heiress'. "Do you trust me?" she asked softly.

"Implicitly," she returned without hesitation.

"Then just relax," Pyrrha smiled, leaning back but not relinquishing her grip.

The pair looked about the cozy room, somewhat outdated in the modeling but in a charming way.

"We never spent much time here," Weiss mused. "It's very nice, though." She smiled suddenly as a thought occurred to her.

"What was that smile for?" Pyrrha asked, a smile of her own on her face.

"Oh, you'll think it silly."

"No, Weiss, please tell me."

"Well… I was just thinking…" Weiss smiled at her girlfriend brilliantly. "I have so many memories of this place with my sister… but now I'm making even better ones with you. And now, thinking about this room, or the veranda, will forever be entwined with thoughts of you."

Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat. "Weiss…" she breathed. "That's… that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

"It is? Truly?"

"Yes, truly."

"Well, then," Weiss smiled as the waiter approached with their drinks. "I'll have to think of much better ones than that."

"Oh, you think you can top that?"

"Watch me," Weiss replied smugly as she held her glass up. "To the most beautifully stunning girl who effortlessly captured my heart."

Pyrrha's eyes glistened as she raised her own glass. "And to the most amazingly exquisite and charming girl who stole mine without my knowing it was even possible," she murmured in reply.

They touched their glasses and took a sip, eyes sparkling at each other in the glimmering candlelight.

"So, are you about to tell me what it is you ordered?" Weiss asked archly once she'd put her glass down.

"Impatient, are we?"

"I don't do very well with waiting."

"Really, even for me?"

"Well… fine. For you, I would make an exception."

Pyrrha rested her chin in her hand. "Lucky me," she murmured.

"No," Weiss disagreed. "Lucky me."

They enjoyed each other's company, Weiss telling a humorous story of how she and Winter managed to sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night for snacks when they were much younger, until the waiter returned carrying a large platter.

Weiss perked up as she caught a very familiar scent. She turned to a smirking Pyrrha with incredulous eyes.

"Did you… How…?"

"I made a special request," Pyrrha laughed as the large apple and bacon pizza was placed in between them. "The chef remembers making these for you, and was pleased as anything to chase the workers in the back away so that he might whip one up for us."

"You are too good to me," Weiss sighed, her eyes brimming with tears. Pyrrha gently reached over to brush them away before dishing a piece onto each of their plates.

"To new memories, my Snow Angel," Pyrrha smiled.

"To new memories, my Beautiful Amazon," Weiss agreed, feeling slightly overwhelmed at her good fortune.

_And maybe that's what Yang and the others were trying to tell me. It hasn't been perfect, not the way I had it planned… but it ended up being perfect anyway, simply because of who I am with._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ermagaherd, the fluffiness! It's so fluffy I'm gonna die! What is it about this series that makes me want to write such… such… fluff? Ugh. And no, I cannot seem to stop myself, as I want to revisit the Pink Lemonade duo again, as well as our Ladybug. Sigh. Pitiful, I know.


	5. Sweet, Sweet Lemonade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang becomes perhaps a little too comfortable in her relationship with Nora. Now she needs to go all-out to win back the fiery hammer-wielder's heart.

**Beacon Academy**  
**Sunday Morning**

"They back yet?" Yang asked lazily from where she cuddled on her bunk with her girlfriend. The pinkette was in an unusually somber mood over the weekend, much to her surprise, and she'd been working up the courage to ask about it. Right now, however, she was anticipating the upcoming opportunity for unrelenting teasing.

"Not yet," Ruby sighed from her perch at their window.

"Ruby, you've been staring out the window for half an hour now," Blake commented wryly. She closed her book and placed it next to her on the bed. "Why are you so anxious?"

"Because I wanna hear all about their weekend!" Ruby said, bouncing up and down on the desk.

"I'm sure they had fun," Nora sighed dejectedly.

The blonde bruiser looked down at the pinkette, brow furrowed in concern. She had just opened her mouth to finally ask what the matter was when the door to their room opened, and in walked the fourth member of their team.

"Hi, everyone- _uff!_ "

Weiss' cheery greeting was cut off as Ruby tackled her in a flurry of rose petals.

"Weiss! I was looking for you, did you come in a different way? How was your weekend? Did it go well? Did you and Pyrrha kiss? Was it romantic?" Ruby paused as she sucked in a breath, allowing her laughing partner to finally get a word in edgewise.

"Down, Ruby!" the platinum-haired girl giggled, making everyone in the room look at her in surprise at the unusual sound. "Let's see… Yes, awesome, yes, yes, and most definitely." She grinned widely, pale blue eyes twinkling as she returned Ruby's hug.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered excitedly as she pulled back. "I'm so happy for you, Weiss!"

"Well, I have you all to thank, really. So much went wrong, but you were right in the end, what was important was spending the time there with Pyrrha." Her smile grew soft and reminiscent. "And it was a truly magical time."

"Was it, now?" Yang snarked. "And how were the accommodations?"

"They were… very nice." Weiss blushed slightly, before giving the blonde her customary scowl. "And nothing dirty happened, so stop implying as much."

"Did I say anything of the sort?" Yang protested.

"You didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes, you're just dying to give me a hard time about this."

"Not nearly as hard a time as I'm sure you gave her…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Please, that was tame for you."

"Oh, you want me to up my game, then, Princess?" Yang grinned, sitting up and dangling her feet off the edge of her bunk. "You look like you got your ice melted a little. Did she get your core nice and warm?"

Weiss shook her head. "Is that all you can ever think about, sex?"

"Apparently, yeah," Nora grumbled as she bounced out of the bed and exited the room with an irritated huff.

Yang blinked her violet eyes uncertainly before looking around at the others. "Where'd that come from?" she asked.

"Um, I dunno Yang, she's seemed a little, you know, 'off' this weekend…" Ruby began hesitantly.

"Less than her usual bubbly self," Blake agreed.

Weiss crossed her arms and gave the blonde brawler a glare. "Well? Are you going to go after her?"

Shaking her blonde mane out, Yang slipped down onto the floor and opened the door, peering out into the hallway. She didn't see any sign of Nora but could hear her well enough, even if she couldn't make out the words. Her shrill voice emanated from Team JNPR's room, at least she was assuming it was her girlfriend's voice as she'd never heard her so irate before.

"Um," she gulped, looking over her shoulder back into the room. "Sounds like she's talking to Pyrrha? Maybe about the weekend, yeah?"

Ruby poked her head around her sister. "That doesn't sound like she's having a fun conversation with Pyrrha," the diminutive redhead said slowly.

"Unless perhaps it's Nora's weekend they're discussing?" Blake chimed in from over Yang's shoulder.

"Oh, I imagine so," Weiss stated, peering around Yang's side opposite of Ruby. "What did you do, dolt?"

"I didn't do anything!" Yang protested, vainly trying to push her teammates back into the room. "Honest!"

The shrill voice cut off, and the team was shocked into stillness at the sound that replaced it.

Sobbing.

"What…?" Yang breathed, stunned by the sound. "I've never heard her cry before…"

"Well, congratulations, you managed to make her do so," Weiss scowled. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

The door to Team JNPR's room opened briefly to admit Pyrrha as she tall redhead somberly slipped out into the hallway.

"But… but I didn't do anything!" Yang protested weakly.

"I believe that may be part of the problem," Pyrrha sighed. Her face lit up as she saw the platinum-haired girl slide out from around Yang. "Hello, Weiss," she murmured warmly.

"Hello yourself, Pyrrha," Weiss grinned, sauntering up to look up into her girlfriend's emerald eyes.

They stood like that for a few heartbeats before Ruby gave a little squeal.

"Oh my Oum, you guys are sooo cute!"

The pair let out an embarrassed laugh, blushing lightly. Pyrrha made as if to step back, but Weiss grabbed her by the lapels of her tunic and pulled her down into a brief but loving kiss. The amazonian girl had a surprised smile on her face when she was released.

"Okay, yeah, I have to agree," Blake snickered. "Pretty adorable."

"Um, I hate to break up the mood," Yang interjected. "But what the heck is wrong with Nora?"

Pyrrha sighed, the pleased look on her face fading, though she slipped her hand into Weiss'. "Let's go into your room, please."

The five of them sat on their respective bunks, Ruby on Blake's as that was where she spent almost all of her time now anyway. "Yang," Pyrrha began softly, "I've never seen Nora this upset before."

"And I don't know what I did to make her this way!" Yang exclaimed heatedly. "I thought things were great!"

"I think, perhaps… she's feeling as if you're taking her a bit for granted."

Yang's jaw dropped. "She… what?" she finally squeaked out.

Pyrrha gave her friend a sad smile. "I'm going to be blunt, Yang. She feels like all you want her for is sex. You two haven't done anything fun in ages, and you just went an entire weekend without going on a date of any sort."

"But… But…" Yang stammered. "What about last week, we went out to dinner!"

"Which she initiated. In fact, according to her, she's initiated the last several outings."

"Oh," Yang sighed, suddenly deflated. "I… Yeah. Okay, I can see…"

Ruby shot to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at her sibling. "Yang, you are not allowed to let Nora get away!" she declared. "I am enacting little sister privilege here!"

"Ruby, there's no such thing-"

"Ah-pupupup!" the team leader stated, doing a remarkably accurate imitation of Weiss. "Details aren't important! What's important is, Nora is the best thing that has ever happened to you! True or false?"

"True," Yang sighed dejectedly. "But it-"

"Ah-pupupup!" Ruby repeated with a grin. "You, Yang Xiao Long, have got to pull out all the stops and woo your girlfriend back!"

Weiss nodded with a grin of her own. "Remind her of why she's special to you."

Blake popped up into Yang's vision, her amber eyes twinkling. "Be romantic. I know you can manage that."

Yang nodded decisively. "Alright. But… I don't know if I can do this alone."

"Yes!" cheered Ruby excitedly, her fist thrust into the air. "Operation Relationship Rescue is underway!"

Pyrrha laughed. "May I assist as well?"

Yang hopped back down from her bunk and strode over to kneel before the redheaded warrior, her face unusually solemn and pleading. "I… I know Nora is your teammate, Pyrrha, but if you would help… I would be really grateful."

Pyrrha placed the hand that wasn't ensconced within Weiss' onto the blonde's shoulder. "Yes, she is my teammate and my friend, and it is because of that I wish to help. You two are very good for each other." She smiled brilliantly at Yang. "Now, tell me what I may do."

"Okay," Yang declared, standing to pace the room. "I have some ideas… First off, Pyrrha, I'll need you to please keep Nora occupied and in her room until I give the word. The rest of you guys, if you're willing…"

Her teammates were all on the edges of their beds, looking at Yang with anticipatory smiles as their reply. Yang chuckled, feeling encouraged.

"Right, so here's what we need to do…"

**Sunday Afternoon**

"Pyrrha, are you sure we can't go get some lunch?" Nora whined from where she sprawled on her bed.

"Oh, come on Nora, when was the last time we got to do anything together?" Pyrrha smiled, pushing her piece across the gameboard. "Your move."

The orange-haired girl lurched to her feet, walked over to the desk, and pushed one of her pieces forward. She turned and flopped back onto her bed, this time on her face.

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head. "What is taking so long…" she murmured under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing!" Pyrrha glanced at her scroll for what must have been the hundredth time since she'd returned to her room, allowing a wide smile to spread over her face at the picture she had displayed. It was one she'd taken of her and Weiss, curled up on the bed together at the resort from the weekend and snuggling. Both of them had such a relaxed and happy expression on their faces, the redhead couldn't help but sigh affectionately.

And then, finally, she received the long-awaited signal as Yang's text arrived.

"So, Nora!" she chirped excitedly. "Do you want your souvenir from the weekend?"

The orange-haired girl's head popped up in interest. "Really? You got something for me?"

"Yes, we did! Oh, but it's across the hall… Weiss must have put it in her luggage… Here, why don't you come with me!"

"Pass," Nora sighed, dropping her head to the pillow again.

"Come on, you can't get your present otherwise. Besides, you can thank Weiss as well."

"Fine, fine, I'll come," Nora grumped, slouching to her feet again. "Lead the way. I just… Don't make me talk to her, okay?"

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do," Pyrrha smiled, opening the door and then knocking on Team RWBY's.

Weiss answered with a pleased grin on her face. "Hello!" she said cheerfully.

Pyrrha smiled at her girlfriend. "Weiss, may we give Nora her gift?"

"Oh, of course!" Weiss said smoothly, stepping back so that the two girls might enter.

Nora glanced around curiously. "Where's everyone?" she asked.

"Out and about," Weiss replied breezily. "Now, let me see, where did I place it…"

Nora's turquoise eyes were drawn to a bright pink square of paper sitting on the edge of Yang's bunk, bearing the hammer-wielder's name. She looked over her shoulder, but both Weiss and Pyrrha were involved with digging through the luggage, so she tiptoed over and grabbed the card.

Inside was a rather odd statement.

"'What always goes to bed with its shoes on?'" Nora read out loud, her brow furrowed. "'Find the next clue there.'" She glanced back at the couple, still up to their elbows in baggage. "Find the clue…?"

A broad smile spread across her face as the realization of what Yang was doing dawned upon her. "It's a scavenger hunt for clues!" she said excitedly.

"What was that, Nora?" Pyrrha asked calmly.

"Oh, nothing, Pyrrha… um… listen, I gotta run for a minute, I'll get my gift from you later, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good!' Weiss replied with a smile. The couple watched as Nora stalked out of the room, her brow furrowed again in thought.

"Whew, I didn't know how much longer I could fake searching a bag!" Weiss sighed.

"Is everything else in position?" Pyrrha whispered excitedly.

Weiss nodded, and with shared grins the pair took off out of the room, hands entwined and giggles propelling them back into Team JNPR's dorm.

Nora had reached the main entrance to their building before she snapped her fingers excitedly. "Goes to bed with its shoes on!" she giggled. "A horse!" The pinkette took off across the campus and towards the gardens. Within a few minutes, she made it to where the equine statue rested, the horse rearing up majestically. Sitting on the pedestal at the base was Blake, reading one of her ever-present books.

The orange-haired girl looked around curiously but didn't see any sign of Yang. However, she did spy another bright pink card that was resting on the other side of the statue from where Blake sat.

"Um, hi Blake!" Nora said nonchalantly as she strolled, her hands behind her back, across the clearing.

"Oh, hello Nora," Blake replied absentmindedly before returning to her reading.

Nora casually sauntered around the statue, sitting next to the paper so that she might slip it into her hand. Then she hopped up, forgoing any sort of subtlety to race off around the corner of the hedge.

Blake laughed softly to herself as she marked her place and rose to her feet. She sent a quick text as she headed for her next station.

Meanwhile, Nora was peering at her next clue. "Let's see… 'What heavy seven-letter word can you take two letters from and be left with eight?' Oooh, that's a tough one…"

She paced the grass, tapping her forehead to try and kickstart her brain. "Heavy word… heavy word… Hammer? No, too obvious, and that doesn't work anyway… maybe I need to try from the other end, what can I add to eight… Oh!" She brought herself to a halt with a pleased laugh. "Weights!"

With a gleeful giggle, she was off again, racing back across campus to the exercise rooms, a favorite hangout for both her and Yang.

Her usual bench was unoccupied, though there was a stack of schoolbooks resting on it. Ruby was on a workout mat nearby, whirling Crescent Rose about her as she went through her paces. She paused to give Nora a cheery wave, which she returned, before resuming her activity.

Nora approached the bench and immediately spotted the pink note resting in the middle. With an excited grin, she unfolded it and began to read.

"'What loses its head in the morning but gets it back at night?' Pfft, that's an easy one," Nora rolled her eyes. "A pillow! But which one?" She tapped her finger against her chin. "Maybe mine? I suppose it could be that simple…" She tucked the note into the pocket of her pink skirt to join the other ones as she raced off again, not noticing the smirk that graced the face of Team RWBY's leader.

Back at her room, she was surprised to see the rest of her team there, along with Weiss who sat with Pyrrha on the latter's bed. Ren was standing in nothing but his towel wrapped around his waist, seemingly unconcerned as always about modesty, while Jaune sat in the desk chair.

"Hi, guys!" Nora said cheerfully, her earlier funk completely discarded by now. "How was the weekend?"

"Very manly," Jaune replied with a laugh. "Camping was fun."

"Though dirty," Ren complained.

"Oh, Ren, you gotta live a little!" she smirked, casually glancing over at her bed. She flopped onto her mattress, bringing her hands over her head to snatch the pink note she'd spied peeking out from under the pillow. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, we're just exchanging stories of our weekend," Pyrrha said with a warm smile. "Did you take care of your errand?"

"Oh, you know what? I got so distracted I forgot!" Nora exclaimed, jumping back up and racing out the door. "See ya!"

Weiss sighed as she leaned back into Pyrrha's embrace. "Has she always been this obvious?" she asked Ren.

The soft-spoken boy shook his head ruefully. "Subtlety has never been her strong point," he admitted.

Back out in the hallway, Nora was excitedly opening her next clue. "'What can you catch but not throw?' Hmm, nice one, lemme see… Aha! A cold!" She thrust her hand into the air. "To the infirmary!" she cheered, startling a pair of passing first-years.

Nora took off once again, bolting through the front doors of the dorm and across the courtyard until she reached the small but well-equipped medical building. She slowed herself, trying to contain her enthusiasm as she entered.

"Well hello there, Nora," the nurse greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, hello Miss Abigail! Um, is it alright if I take a quick peek around?"

"Are you looking for something?"

Nora grinned, shuffling her feet. "Well, yeah, it's kind of a trail of clues I'm following…"

"Then perhaps this might help," the nurse smiled, holding up a piece of bright pink paper. "I was asked to give this to you when you stopped by."

Nora snatched the paper out of her hands with a giggle. "Thanks, Miss Abigail!" She darted outside through the front doors, unfolding the paper as she walked.

Blake emerged from around the corner with a small smile. "Thank you for your help, Miss Abigail."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, sweetie. Nice to see you kids having some fun instead of me having to patch you up."

Out in the courtyard, Nora was eagerly reading her next clue. "'What always murmurs but never talks, always runs but never walks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never speaks?' Wow, that's a tough one…" The pinkette sat on a bench as she pondered the riddle.

"Not a who, but a what… But what would murmur? Or run?"

"Hey Nora, what's up?"

The pinkette looked up to see Sun standing over her curiously.

"Oh, hey Sun! I'm trying to figure out a riddle, but this one has me stumped."

"Well, I always liked riddles growing up, maybe I can help."

Nora read the clue off to him, and by the time she'd finished he was grinning widely.

"Aw, c'mon, you can't get that one?" the blonde Faunus smirked. "It murmurs as it runs over its bed, and has a mouth…"

"Oh!" Nora shouted, jumping up from the bench. "Of course! A river!" She took off, yelling out over her shoulder. "Thanks, Sun!"

It took her a little while longer to reach the river that ran next to the campus. She had to pass the airship landing pad to do so and noted that there was a ship there, idling as if waiting for someone, though she didn't see anyone nearby. She shrugged to herself as she headed through the sparse trees towards the spot where she and Yang had a picnic once.

 _Way back when we first started dating,_ she sighed to herself. _Only a month ago, she was so attentive then, and she promised we'd always be friends…_

Nora shook herself out of her dismal reverie as she reached the clearing. Tacked to a tree was another of the familiar bright pink notes, this one twice as large. She pulled it down and began to read the lengthy missive.

"'Who is brighter than the stars, more important than breathing, brightens any room just by their presence…' Geez, this is a really long clue… '...softer than a feather and harder than steel, more special than a birthday party, and means more than all of Remnant put together?'" Nora shook her head with a snort. "How am I supposed to guess this one?"

"It's you," a familiar voice called out. Nora's head whipped around as a figure with a wild mane of blonde hair stepped out from behind a nearby tree. Yang's violet eyes were shining with emotion as she slowly closed the distance, Nora rooted to the spot.

"You're all of those things to me and more. And I am so, so sorry that I forgot to show you how much you mean to me." The blonde bruiser stopped a pace away, looking down into her favorite pair of turquoise orbs. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Well…" Nora grinned. "That was a pretty cool scavenger hunt."

"And it was only the start of our date," Yang said with a soft smile.

"Really?" Nora asked excitedly. "So… what's next then?"

"I have an airship standing by to take us skydiving."

"What?" Nora squealed as her jaw dropped. "Really? I… I always wanted to try that!"

"Yeah, I remembered," Yang said with a sheepish smile. She reached forward hesitantly, but the orange-haired girl was having none of that and enthusiastically leapt into her arms, tackling her in a tight hug.

"Okay," Nora giggled into the soft bosom of the girl she'd become so incredibly enamored with. "I guess I can forgive you."

"Well, good, because we gotta get on that airship, the meter's running," Yang grinned, pulling her thrilled girlfriend along by the hand.

**Sunday Evening**

"That was so amazing," Nora murmured for perhaps the twentieth time since they'd been dropped off in Vale.

"I'm glad you liked it," Yang chuckled. "I think your instructor was about to pitch you out the door without your parachute, though."

"Can't help it if I'm enthusiastic about learning," Nora giggled, pulling on Yang's arm around her so that she could burrow closer into her shoulder as they strolled along.

Yang snickered. "Yep, you are at that."

Just then, Nora's stomach gave a very loud gurgle.

"Oops," the pinkette sniggered. "I think I forgot to eat lunch today."

"Well, then, good thing I'm taking you out to dinner."

"Oh, yeah?" Nora replied, her eyes shining as she bounced on her toes while they walked. "Where we going? The steak house? Oooh, or maybe that place with the seafood that Blake likes so much?"

"Nope," Yang smirked. "Someplace new. Just opened this weekend."

"Huh," Nora mused, her brow furrowed. "I didn't hear about anyplace new opening…"

"It's a new kind of place, they're trying it out but haven't had the budget to advertise," Yang related with a self-satisfied air. "But I have connections."

"Oh, you do?" Nora giggled. "So, where is it?"

"Right around the corner, and... here."

Nora stopped in her tracks as they rounded the bend, staring with open-mouthed wonder at the facade that stretched out in front of her.

The restaurant was painted a cheery light blue, and looked to be brightly lit and inviting, but what had Nora riveted was the name of the place.

Remnant House of Pancakes.

"Oh. My. Oum." Nora finally managed to snap her mouth closed, turning to her pleased girlfriend with tears in her eyes. "I think I'm in heaven."

"You will be," Yang laughed. "They have sixteen different flavors and eight styles, as well as five different flavored syrups."

Nora had to physically restrain herself before she took the place by storm. She very much wanted to be invited back again, and her usual uninhibited exuberance might hinder that possibility.

Instead, she turned to face the blonde at her side.

"Yang, you are the best girlfriend ever," Nora said with a happy grin.

The girlfriend in question smiled softly as she cupped her face with both hands. "I love you, Nora Valkyrie. And don't ever let me take you for granted again, okay? You hit me upside the head or something to get my attention, because you are so, so very worth holding on to. I never want to lose you."

Nora snickered as she rose up on her toes to plant a tender kiss on the silky-soft lips so incongruent with her lover's calloused hands. "I love you too, Yang Xiao Long," she sighed happily. "And you already know the secret to my heart, and how to keep me around."

"Pancakes?" Yang smirked.

"Pancakes," Nora agreed. "Now let's see how much damage we can do to that menu…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationships take a lot of work. It's not ever something you can take for granted. Fortunately, there's always pancakes to make things better.
> 
> I have a lot of fun with the pairings I'm working with here. Especially as a group dynamic, they're a lot of fun to write. So, the next one up will be another Ladybug, but then, thanks to the excellent suggestion from AntonSlavik020, I think we're going to have a triple date. Vale beware!


	6. Ladybug Trails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby's growing up and wants her relationship with Blake to do the same. She hits some unexpected opposition and finds herself trying to prove herself once more but to a much tougher audience.

**Beacon Academy**  
**Friday Morning**

"Ruby, you coming?"

The red-headed leader of Team RWBY glanced up from her textbook at her teammate. "Sorry, Blake, I just need to finish this up… I'll grab a snack later, okay?"

"Well, okay," the Faunus replied, leaning over to place a short but tender kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "See you at class?"

"You betcha!"

Once the door closed, Ruby dropped the textbook in her lap and pulled another, smaller book out from under her pillow. She opened it back up to the place she had marked and began reading one of Blake's more smutty romances again avidly.

It wasn't that she was unhappy with her relationship, really. She and her older teammate had been going out for a couple of months now, but their intimacy was limited to kisses and snuggling. Not that she minded it, she really liked the snuggles and liked the kissing bit even better.

She was simply curious about the, well, other stuff.

Ruby knew about sex, she knew Yang and Nora were happily engaged in the activity whenever feasible, a dubious guarantee with three other roommates for each of them. And while she didn't believe Weiss and Pyrrha were at that point yet, she could tell they were getting close. It was actually pretty adorable, watching the two fumble uncertainly with their relationship, but they were both so eager to please the other that no offense was ever taken if the other messed something up.

And watching the two of them, engaged together in their first real relationship, naturally made her reflect upon her own.

The redhead had no illusions about Blake's past. She knew the Faunus once had a boyfriend, a pretty serious one at that, by the name of Adam, and that their relationship hadn't ended well.

She was assuming Blake was no virgin but felt it was a pretty safe assumption.

Ruby, now, was more akin to both Weiss and Pyrrha in that while she knew the mechanics, she was wholly unaware of the experience itself. Hence the current literature.

She tried to tell herself it was really just an educational endeavor.

A week ago, just as she'd begun to have such ponderings, she'd noticed that Blake kept a suitcase under her bed that she seemed to rarely access. And the occasional smut novel, as Yang called them, caught in the Faunus' hands were never seen on her bookshelf. Hence the surreptitious investigation and subsequent pilfering of books from the bottom of Blake's rather significant pile stashed away in said suitcase.

The current story, one from a spinoff of the _Ninjas of Love_ series called _Pirate Booty_ , made her giggle at first. But then she read the back cover, and after noting that this concerned the exploits of an all-female crew of pirates, immediately picked it up and stashed it away in her bunk.

Ruby was tempted to take notes, but that seemed to go a little overboard, perhaps. She snickered to herself at the pun but quietened as the passage she was currently on was getting to the good part.

The first mate, Foxy, had cornered the young cabin girl, Jewel, intent on ravishing her in her cabin. Ruby's eyes widened as she read how the older woman slowly inched the young girl's shirt off, exposing her pert-

Ruby jerked suddenly as a noise intruded into her consciousness, that of the door unlocking. She scrambled to tuck the book back under her pillow and grab her textbook once more, just as Yang strode into the room.

"Hey, I forgot to grab my… Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Um, er, you know, studying!" Ruby stammered, trying to calm herself down from reading the steamy passage.

"Uh-huh," Yang replied, unimpressed. "Then why is your textbook upside-down?"

Ruby glared at the offending book. _Busted._

"Well, I just sat it down for a minute to, er…" Ruby trailed off weakly. _Oh, who am I kidding, I've never been able to lie to Yang._

The blonde bruiser sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, sis, what's going on?"

"N- nothing, really, nothing at all!"

"Well, okay then…" Yang drawled casually. "Then you don't mind if I see what… this is!"

With a triumphant shout, Yang's hand shot forward to pull out her clandestine book, holding it aloft as she stood upright.

"No!" Ruby squealed, leaping to her feet as well and vainly attempting to climb up her older sister's torso to retrieve the prize held just out of reach. "Please, Yang, no, don't-"

"Oh, my…" Yang's eyes got wide as she opened it to a particularly erotic passage. She looked down at her suddenly still sister whose head was down abashedly, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Ruby… where did you get this?"

The redhead sighed, slumping to the edge of her bed. "It's Blake's," she admitted quietly.

Yang stood there for almost a full minute without speaking. Ruby could have sworn that her violet eyes were ever so slightly tinted red at the edges, which was really beginning to worry her.

"Y- Yang? Um, you okay?"

"Fine, Ruby, I'm fine." Yang forced a smile to her face as she carefully slipped the novel back under Ruby's pillow. "Let's get to class, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry!" Ruby glanced at her scroll in dismay. "Gosh, I would have missed it completely! C'mon, let's go!"

The diminutive redhead grabbed her books and raced out of the dorm room, Yang on her heels.

She didn't notice the rather grim expression on the blonde's face.

**Friday Afternoon**

Blake was beginning to get a little worried.

Through both of the morning classes, shared with all of Team RWBY, Yang had been giving her funny looks. Some of them even downright hostile, though she could have sworn the blonde's violet eyes were almost filled with tears at one point.

She had no idea what was going on with her partner, but she was determined to find out.

After their final morning class, she turned and opened her mouth, but Yang beat her to the punch.

"Hey, Blake, you got a minute to chat?"

"Yeah, sure Yang," she replied, relieved that the blonde was willing to talk about what was bothering her. Perhaps she and Nora hit another snag? But why had she been looking at her that way?

The pair of them left the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR to head to lunch, promising to meet up with them later. As they walked towards the private training rooms, the Faunus noted that Yang was becoming more tense with each step she took.

_What is going on with her?_

They reached an open room, checked it out to keep it reserved, and entered. Yang had not spoken a word since they left class, and it seemed she was unwilling to start now, as she paced back and forth, her eyes closed as she seemed to be mouthing something to herself.

Blake crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. She endured the silence for a full five minutes before deciding that perhaps the blonde brawler needed a little push to get things going.

"Yang, I'm your partner, you can talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Partner, yeah, you _are_ my partner," Yang muttered, still pacing. "That's what is making this so tough, normally I'd just… well, not that I've ever been in this situation, but I always dreaded it, knew it would come eventually, but still…"

Blake blinked her eyes uncertainly at the incomprehensible ranting.

Finally, Yang rounded on her, stopping just outside of reach. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if in physical restraint, and the Faunus could see the same restraint locking what seemed to be raging emotions behind her eyes.

"Blake…" The blonde swallowed before continuing. "What are your… intentions towards my sister?"

The raven-haired girl's eyes widened. _Well, that was an unexpected turn._ "What… what do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

"I mean…" Yang growled quietly. "How far are you willing to take things with her?"

Blake's eyebrows crawled even further up on her forehead. "Are you… um… Are you asking if I want to… to…"

"Yes!" Yang replied shortly. "Yes, I am. Are you?"

"Well, it hasn't really come up…"

"You sure about that? Haven't been giving her any ideas?"

"Yang, what's bringing this about? You've not had any concerns about our relationship before. We haven't done anything if that's what you're asking."

"No, no I'm sure you haven't… yet…" Yang whirled around and began pacing furiously again. "I'd have noticed if you had, she's been happy, but not _that_ happy…"

"You're starting to concern me here," Blake interjected as calmly as she could. "Will you _please_ tell me what brought this all about?"

Yang stopped halfway across the room and spared her a glare. "You know Ruby is more to me than my sister, right? I practically raised her when mom died."

"Yeah, I know," Blake replied. "And I know that's why you're very protective of her."

"I am, I'm very protective of her," Yang muttered, resuming her neurotic pacing. "I try not to be, so much… but it's hard, you know? Hard to think of her as anything other than the little girl I used to rock to sleep, to help chase the nightmares away… even when she's leading us on a mission, as proud as I am of her, I still see that little girl…"

Blake sighed and slumped to the ground, resolved to wait her partner out until she finally got to the point she was trying to make.

"It's just… Look, I understand, she's growing up, has her first girlfriend, and you guys are great for each other, really you are… It's just… just…" Yang finally stopped again, tilting her head up and closing her eyes, her arms still wrapped around her middle. "So, you haven't, like, given anything to her? As in, hoping to, you know, steer her…?"

The Faunus was struggling mightily to follow where Yang was going with all of this but sensed that perhaps they were finally closing in. "Not that I'm aware of, no. Given her anything like _what_ , exactly?"

The blonde bruiser opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, but the Faunus was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Yang, um… has she been reading from my, er, special stash?"

Yang seemed to deflate at the words, hanging her head down, the bright blond tresses covering her face like a curtain. "Yeah," she admitted quietly. "I caught her with one this morning when I went back to the room."

"Oh." _Well, that would explain some of the hostility, anyway_. "So… what exactly is the concern, here?"

"I don't think she's ready for that, is all," Yang softly explained. "And… and I don't want you encouraging it yet. Please."

While Blake was touched by the last word, she still felt the need to remind Yang of a few things.

"Yang… Look, I understand you still feel the need to protect her, but… She _is_ growing up, you know. She's not a little girl anymore." She glanced down as her scroll vibrated, Ruby asking if everything was okay. "And… she's my girlfriend, but also my friend, my teammate, and my team leader. She's all of those things. I would never intentionally hurt her."

While she typed out a brief message to reassure Ruby things were fine, Yang resumed her pacing. As an afterthought, she also added their current location to the message, just in case she went mysteriously missing. _Never hurts to take precautions_.

Finally, Yang stopped again, her eyes still a whirl of conflicting emotions. "Just… You know how I feel." Her arms dropped to her sides, and she clenched and unclenched her fists. "And that's all I'm going to say for now, alright?"

"Okay, Yang," Blake nodded, getting back to her feet warily.

Yang gave her one last nod of her own and then stormed out of the training room, leaving behind a very perplexed Faunus.

As she was herself exiting, Ruby showed up in a flurry of rose petals.

"Blake! I saw Yang stomping off, she looked mad! What's going on?"

"Ruby…" The Faunus sighed softly as she placed her hands on the diminutive leader's shoulders. "We need to talk. C'mon, let's walk to lunch and I'll let you in on what's bugging Yang…"

At the cafeteria, Yang was morosely poking at her lunch while Nora patted her consolingly on the shoulder.

"I know you don't wanna hear this," Nora said softly. "But she really isn't a little kid anymore."

"I have to agree with Nora on that," Weiss interjected. All of Team JNPR, as well as Yang, swiveled their heads to stare at her incredulously. "What? She's not!" she huffed out defensively. "I know I might have held that belief at the beginning of the year, but for her physical age, she has matured significantly. Even if she is a bit… high-strung."

"Spirited," Pyrrha agreed.

"Rambunctious," Ren added softly.

"Oooh, big word there, Ren," Nora teased.

Ren opened his mouth to retort, but it was cut off by a high-pitched yet booming voice that echoed throughout the lunch hall.

"YANG XIAO LONG!"

Those at the table turned to spy a small, red-cloaked figure who seemed to be trembling furiously as she raised a hand, finger extended, towards the outside entrance.

"OUTSIDE! NOW!"

With that, Ruby turned, her cloak billowing out behind her as she strode determinedly out, several other students hurriedly making way for the irate girl.

Yang sat with her mouth open in astonishment, fairly well mirroring the reactions of most of the students in the cafeteria, including the pair of teams at her table.

Another voice softly spoke up from behind her. "Um, you should really go, Yang," her raven-haired partner said apologetically. "She's… a little upset."

"Yeah?" Nora smirked. "I hear Nevermores can fly, too."

Yang gathered her wits around her again and stood up, flinging her blonde tresses behind her shoulders. "Fine," she stated. "We'll talk." With that, she marched out to follow her little sister.

"Um, should we… perhaps intervene?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"No," Blake sighed as she slowly walked towards the door. "They need to get this out." She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "But, maybe we should remain on hand."

With resolute nods, the rest of the table rose and filed out after the Faunus, sticking to the bushes lining the courtyard. Ruby stood in the center of the open space, her arms crossed irritably as she watched her sister approach.

"Now, listen here, Ruby…" the blonde began.

"No, _you_ listen to _me_ , Yang," the redhead retorted. "You will listen to everything I have to say, no interruptions, and then I will allow you to have your say. Understand?"

Weiss and Pyrrha shared an incredulous look. "Wow," Pyrrha mouthed. Weiss nodded in agreement before turning back to peer through the bushes.

"Yang, I love you," Ruby began heatedly, her words incongruous with the angry tone of her voice. "I will always love you and appreciate what you have done for me, how you were always there for me. But. I am not a little girl anymore."

"Ruby-"

"NO!" the redhead yelled, causing Yang to jerk back. "I'm not done! I am a team leader and a student in training to be a huntress! We have dealt with Grimm and the White Fang, battled our way to almost the top of the team rankings! I! Am! Not! A! Child!"

Ruby took a step forward, and even though her voice was lowered slightly, it still echoed off of the surrounding building. "Whether or not I decide to have sex with Blake is between Blake and myself. You are my sister, not my mother, and even if you were it still would not be your choice. Do you understand this?"

Yang took a deep breath, and her response was soft enough to almost be missed by those attempting to overhear.

"Yes. Yes, I do, Ruby. And… I'm sorry. I just… I miss the little girl I could hug and make everything better for, you know?"

Ruby smiled, the tears in her eyes reflected on her sister's face. "I get that, I do."

"And… and maybe I'm just a little scared of you growing up, growing apart from me… But time won't slow down, will it?"

"No, it won't. But you won't ever lose me, Yang. We're sisters, that'll never change." Ruby smiled gently. "I really am growing up, though, even faster here at Beacon. Can't help but do so, with what we're being trained for and with everything going on around us. And while I don't need your permission to go further with Blake, I… I would still like your blessing, if that were to ever happen."

"Oh, Ruby…" Yang sighed, stepping forward and encasing her little sister in a warm hug. "I am… I'm so proud of you, what you've done here. And yeah, as much as it breaks my heart, you've got my blessing with Blake. You two are really good for each other."

"Yeah, we are," Ruby admitted, her smile swallowed by Yang's hug.

"And this is gonna sound corny… but you're my hero now, Ruby. I'll follow you anywhere, not just because you're my sister and my team leader… but because of who you are. I will stay with you all our days."

Ruby sniffled as she buried her face closer into Yang's chest. "You are such a dork," she muttered. "Making me cry in public. Are the others gone yet?"

"Yeah," Yang snickered. "They oh-so-stealthily snuck back inside when we hugged."

"I guess maybe I had them worried."

"Sweet Oum, Ruby, you had _me_ worried. That was quite the display."

"Well, I learned from you."

"True enough."

**Friday Evening**

"So," Blake said nonchalantly as they entered their dorm room. "We going to talk about it?"

Ruby fidgeted, pulling her cloak off and hanging it up. "Well… yeah, we should really." She plopped onto her bunk, twisting her fingers in her lap. "Where are the others?"

"Both off having dates," Blake said calmly as she curled up at the end of Ruby's bunk. "I'm not mad about the book, by the way."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Ruby laughed a little embarrassedly.

"So…" the Faunus prompted gently.

Ruby turned to face her girlfriend, her face betraying her anxiety. "Blake, I'm not gonna deny I'm, um… curious. And yeah, at some point, I wanna try more. But not yet, okay?"

"Oh, my sweet Ruby," the raven-haired girl laughed as she pulled the smaller girl into a hug. "I am most certainly not going to pressure you, or be disappointed in you. You figure out at what pace you're most comfortable with, alright? Just know I'm with you, however far you want to go."

"Really?" Ruby asked with a hesitant grin as she pulled back slightly.

"Yeah, really," Blake quietly replied before pressing her lips against Ruby's. The kiss stretched out as Blake tried to pour all of her affection and admiration for the small girl who captured her heart so unexpectedly.

Ruby eventually pulled back with a timid smile. "There… There is something I'd like to try? Um, if you're interested?"

Blake quirked her eyebrows. "What would you like to do?" she asked softly.

The redhead stretched behind her to pull out her clandestine book from under her pillow.

"Could we read this together? Maybe you reading it out loud to me?"

The Faunus barked out a surprised laugh. "Really? I mean, I don't mind, but… why together?"

"Well, for one, I like it when you read to me. I like the sound of your voice. But also… well, it's kinda intimate, right? And something we could do together…"

"Ruby, I would very much like to do that with you," Blake assured her. The couple settled back against the head of Ruby's bed, curled up next to each other.

"I love you, Blakey."

"I love you too, Ruby. Now, where did you leave off?"

"Um, right here…"

"Oh!" Blake blushed slightly. "Well, diving right in, I see… okay, then… 'Jewel's breathing quickened as the first mate approached her. Her small chest heaved with anticipation as Foxy licked her lips, placing her rough hands on the cabin girl's slim hips before slowly drawing them upwards…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally think Pirate Booty should be a thing. I'd buy it. Anyways, I've made a conscious decision to stick with the fluff in my Lemonade series, remaining firmly out of lemon territory. (My apologies to those who have read my other Firefly or MCU fanfics and were anticipating racier stories.)
> 
> Also, yes All Our Days was very much the inspiration for much of this, including Yang and Ruby's argument.


	7. Trifecta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY and their girlfriends decide it's high time that the three couples hang out together. Their idea of fun, however, can end up just a little bit explosive by the end of the evening.

**Beacon Academy**  
**Friday Afternoon**

"So, Weiss, did you decide on where we would go tonight?" Pyrrha asked politely as she sat down with her team at the lunch table.

"Me?" Weiss squeaked. "But… but I thought you were taking care of the plans tonight!"

The couple stared at one another abashedly for a heartbeat before stumbling over each other in their haste to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I should have checked…"

"No, no, it's my fault completely…"

"Really, it was very insensitive of me…"

"We've both been terribly busy…"

"That's true yes, still I must apologize…"

"No, really I should apologize…"

Snickers from around the table eventually resolved into loud guffaws from a certain blonde bruiser and her fiery pinkette girlfriend.

"You two…" Yang wheezed finally, ignoring the offended stares from the other couple.

"...Are too adorable!" Nora finished, wiping the tears of mirth from her cheeks.

Weiss huffed out an irritated breath as she crossed her arms, "At least we don't feel the need to grope each other in public."

Ruby snorted humorously. "And you really think they'll take offense at that?"

"I don't think there's really all that much that Nora would ever take offense at," Ren commented absentmindedly.

"Too true, too true," Nora sang out happily as she squirmed her way onto Yang's lap. The laughing blonde wrapped her arm around the orange-haired girl's slim torso and gave her an affectionate squeeze.

"Well, then, what are _your_ plans this evening?" Pyrrha asked wryly.

"Actually, we're kinda flexible on that," Yang admitted. "Thought maybe a dance club or something? What d'you think, Nora?"

"Dancing sounds like fun," Nora giggled. "So long as I get to watch your cute butt move, Blondie."

Weiss rolled her eyes in exasperation, though with a slight undercurrent of humor. "And how about you two?" she directed towards Ruby and Blake.

The Faunus smiled softly. "We were planning on visiting the bookstore and then the gun shop before dinner."

"Yeah, she never lets me go to the gun shop first," Ruby admitted cheerfully. "Otherwise I get all distracted, and then before I know it my tummy's growling for dinner."

"Priorities are important," Blake added, her smile growing as she clasped hands with her girlfriend under the table.

"Wait a minute…" Ruby's silver eyes got wide as she was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Guys, I got it. I have the best idea ever."

"Better than the food fight?" Yang asked skeptically.

"Ahhh, good times," Nora sighed blissfully.

Jaune snorted. "Are you perhaps forgetting how long it took to get the food out of our clothes and hair?"

"Worth it!" Nora replied in a sing-song voice.

"Alright, Ruby," Weiss interjected towards her partner. "I can see you practically vibrating in place. What's your idea?"

"Are you ready? Are you ready for this?" Ruby asked excitedly as she let go of Blake's hand and climbed up on her seat to strike a heroic pose. "Triple date!"

There was a moment's silence as the others digested the notion.

"It's not a bad idea," Pyrrha spoke up first.

Weiss nodded thoughtfully. "Could be fun…"

Yang and Nora grinned at each other. "We're in!" they chorused.

Ruby glanced down at her Faunus girlfriend, who smiled back affectionately. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Oh my Oum," Jaune sighed. "I'll give the Vale authorities a heads-up."

"Perhaps the fire department as well," Ren noted.

"Comedians," Ruby snorted. "Okay, so here's the plan. Each couple comes up with an activity, one that all of us will enjoy-"

"So no gun shops," Yang interrupted.

"Yes, Yang, no gun shops," Ruby replied patiently. "And then we reconvene after dinner in Team RWBY's room to settle on them. Think of a backup activity in case someone objects. Sound good?"

"Banzai!" Blake called out with an unusually buoyant grin, her fist upraised.

The other five members of their planned excursion raised their fists as well. "Banzai!" they cheered in return.

"Vale is doomed," Jaune lamented.

"Well, it might be quieter on campus if they end up in jail for the weekend," Ren commented.

"That's true, way to find the silver lining there, Ren."

**Friday Evening**

"Okay, guys, who wants to go first?" Ruby asked excitedly, perched on the edge of Blake's bunk next to her girlfriend. Facing her on the other bunk were Weiss and Pyrrha, while Nora sat in Yang's lap on the desk chair. Everyone had wide anticipatory grins.

"We'll go first!" Weiss exclaimed, bumping her shoulder against the tall redhead seated next to her.

"We wanted to go outside our usual, er, comfort zone," Pyrrha admitted.

"And we liked Yang and Nora's idea," Weiss continued.

"Wait, what?" the blonde retorted. "Hang on a sec, I gotta mark that one down on the calendar." She snickered as she dodged a thrown pillow.

"Hush," the platinum-haired girl admonished. "Anyway, we'd really like to try a dance club, but we'd never be brave enough to do so on just our own. Safety in numbers, right?"

"Right!" Ruby stated with a wide smile. "Dance club! Any objections? No? Excellent, our first stop is set! Yang, Nora?"

Nora giggled. "Now, just give this serious consideration, okay?"

Yang nodded. "It might sound a little sketchy, but it kinda fits in with Weiss and Pyrrha's theme of trying something new."

"I am feeling a certain amount of trepidation with how much they're building this up," Blake murmured.

"It's not bad, honest!" Nora replied. "We think we should try a pool bar!"

"A… pool bar?" Pyrrha questioned, her eyebrows raised. "Should I bring a swimming suit?"

"No, silly, not that kinda pool," Nora snickered, her eyes crossed humorously. "Like, playing pool!"

"Oh!" Weiss exclaimed. "Billiards!"

Yang sighed amusedly. "Sure, if you want to use the fancy-pants name, Princess." She adroitly dodged the next pillow flung her way. Unfortunately, it caught Blake in the face.

"Oops, sorry Blake!" Weiss apologized.

"Right, so any objections to going to a bar to play pool?" Ruby asked, looking around the room. "Okay! Now for our idea!"

"Do you want to tell them?" Blake asked with a grin as she adjusted her bow that had been knocked askew.

"No, you go ahead, it was your brilliant idea."

"Very well," Blake smiled. "Karaoke."

"Oh my Oum, that's a fantastic idea!" Nora cheered. "I love it!"

Yang grinned. "Though you may regret it once me and Valkyrie take the stage."

"Weiss, Pyrrha, you guys good with that?" Ruby asked.

The heiress and the amazonian girl shrugged as they shared a glance. "It might be fun," Pyrrha murmured.

"And another new experience," Weiss added slowly. They nodded to each other. "Okay, we're in," she smiled finally.

"And it beats our backup plan," Yang smirked.

"Do I want to know?" Pyrrha asked warily.

"Group sex!" Yang exclaimed with a leer. This time, she was unable to dodge the four simultaneous pillows, two from each direction, and fell to the floor with her limbs entwined with a giggling Nora.

After an hour's worth of final preparations, the six girls were dressed in their night-out-on-the-town clothes and heading for the airship, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Ruby, for her part, wore her usual outfit complete with boots and red cloak, deciding why let a good theme slide. Blake, her arm tucked around her girlfriend's shoulders, wore a simple black sleeveless dress that came down to her knees, along with a new pair of high-heeled ankle boots she'd been wanting to break in, along with a pair of pinstripe black stockings.

Nora had donned her white and pink dress from the dance earlier that year and bounced along happily at the forefront of the group. Yang strolled in her wake, wearing the Hunter outfit that she'd been wanting to dust off once more. She was the only one of their group armed, as Ember Celica was more of a fashion accessory when not activated.

Trailing the group were Pyrrha and Weiss. The redhead wore a simple white dress, sleeveless and fastened at the back of her neck, that came down past her knees though slit up the side. She had a simple gold chain belt around her waist and wore white flats, bringing her height down almost to Yang's level for a change without her high-heeled combat boots on. The heiress, for her part, wore her usual white bolero jacket over a light blue camisole and white skirt that was a little longer than her usual combat skirt.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Nora giggled as she skipped in circles around her lover. "Which dance place should we try? The one with the kinky goth vibe or the one with the alcoholic punk vibe?"

"Wait, what?" Weiss barked, lengthening her stride and pulling Pyrrha along in her wake. "Neither of those sound particularly safe!"

"Relax, Weiss, I'm sure Nora is just teasing," Pyrrha laughed hesitantly. "Um, you _are_ teasing, right, Nora?"

"Riiight," Nora smirked, now skipping backwards. "'Course I am."

"Behave," Yang snickered. "And no, neither of those, I have a great place to go. Trust me."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Blake murmured.

"Oh, come on, we can trust Yang," Ruby protested loyally.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you're forgetting some of the decisions that oaf has made in the past?"

"It'll be fine!" Yang said breezily as they boarded the airship. "Hardly any chance at all of a brawl!"

"I'm fine with a brawl!" Nora cheered. "Or dancing, either way is good. Maybe dancing and then a brawl? Oh, or maybe do the brawl first, and then dance on their broken little bodies?" She cackled maniacally, rubbing her hands together in a fashion that made the others lean back slightly away from her as they took their seats.

"Blaaake," the petite redhead whispered over the noise of the engines. "Nora's scaring me."

The Faunus laughed and pulled Ruby into her lap. "Don't worry, Little Gem, I'll protect you."

"Wait, what was that?" Weiss demanded.

Blake's bow twitched guiltily as she realized her slip. "Um, what was what?"

"That. What you said."

"What in particular are you referring to?"

Weiss gave her a glare that said she wasn't buying the innocent act. "You called her a 'Little Gem.'"

"Oh, no, you must have misheard," Blake replied calmly. "I said nothing of the sort."

"I heard you. We all heard you. What is that all about?"

Ruby sighed irritably, rolling her eyes in a fair approximation of Weiss. "It's just a nickname, jeez, what's the big deal? I heard Pyrrha call you Snow Angel the other day."

"You… What… She said nothing of the sort!" Weiss sputtered indignantly. Pyrrha covered her smile behind her hand as the partners began to bicker.

"I did so. You got no place to make fun of my pet name."

"Per name? Is that what it is, then?"

"Yeah, and there's nothing wrong with it, or with your pet name."

Weiss let out an outraged huff. "I most certainly do not have a pet name! It is a term of endearment, nothing more!"

"So can I call you Snow Angel, then?"

"No, you dolt! Only Pyrrha can call me that!"

"Yeah, we'll just have to stick with Ice Queen," Yang broke in with a grin. "Somewhat more demeaning, but hey, if that's what she wants…"

Weiss leveled her impressive glare upon the smirking blonde. "Yang, we are a considerable distance above the ground. It would be a pity if you were to find yourself unexpectedly flung out of the cabin."

"You and what army, Princess?"

"Guys, stop!" Pyrrha interjected, vainly trying to keep the laughter from her voice. "We're all out together to have fun, not to fight!"

"Right!" Nora replied to her teammate encouragingly. "Save the fighting for the brawl!"

"Annnd there she goes again," Ruby sighed dramatically.

"Relax," Blake smiled. "How much trouble can she get into without her hammer?"

Ruby turned slightly in her girlfriend's lap to regard her with solemn silver eyes.

"Yeah, okay, I should have thought that statement through before I said it," Blake muttered abashedly.

Once off the airship they took a cab to the address Yang gave. The six of them had some difficulty all squeezing into the back of the vehicle, but with some familiarity on the parts of the couples they managed. Eventually, they were let off in an industrial neighborhood, tall warehouses and exposed pipes lining the street.

Yang headed for an older brick building situated on a corner, where pounding music could be heard from the street where they stood. The blonde paused and turned to face the others.

"So, not to worry anybody, but I should probably bring up the rear. You guys go in first."

"Not to worry us?" Weiss demanded. "How are we not supposed to be worried about that? Where have you taken us?"

"Hey, it's a great dance club! And they just remodeled. Um, again. Anyway, it's great, you'll see!" Yang grinned at them disarmingly.

Ruby shook her head bemusedly. "Alright, then. Weiss and Pyrrha, this is your portion of the date night, why don't you two lead the charge?"

"Making this sound like a military excursion is not increasing my confidence," Weiss grumbled as Pyrrha playfully tugged on her arm. "Oh, all right, let's go." She shot Yang another glare as she passed her. "If this becomes a disaster, I will totally blame you."

"Relax, it'll be fine!" Yang replied cheerfully.

Ruby paused before following the platinum-haired and redhead couple. "Um, Yang, is it really? Fine, I mean?"

"'Course it is!"

Ruby and Blake strolled through the doors. Nora went to follow them, but Yang pulled on her arm.

"Um, so, just in case, be ready for that brawl, okay?"

"Hey, it's me!" the pinkette replied airily. "I'm always ready for a brawl!"

The music got louder as they walked down the hallway until they reached a pair of darkened glass doors with a half-moon design on them. They slowly slid to the side as the group approached.

Weiss and Pyrrha paused at the top of the steps to survey the room. It was decorated in an elegant and tasteful modern style, with flashy lights and lots of glass columns. A bar lined the left side of the sunken area, and a DJ's booth oversaw the dance floor straight ahead. Many people were already on the dance floor gyrating to the throbbing beat.

After a moment, Ruby and Blake joined them. "Wow, this is pretty cool!" Ruby gushed.

"Is that DJ wearing a large bear head?" Blake asked skeptically.

"Um, yes, it does appear to be so," Pyrrha replied.

Yang and Nora walked in behind them. "See?" the blonde said cheerfully. "Pretty neat place, huh?"

Just then some of the dark-suited men standing near the entrance, wearing red sunglasses and fedoras, noticed the girls, and in particular a certain blonde bruiser accompanying them.

"She's back!" one of them yelled.

In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, certainly faster than Ruby might have done so, the six of them were surrounded by a couple dozen similarly dressed men. All of them were pointing very dangerous-looking sidearms in their faces.

"Yang," Weiss gritted out dangerously.

Nora giggled, cracking her knuckles. "Yesss," she said in a low anticipatory voice.

"Now, Junior, is that any way to treat an old friend?" Yang called out over the henchmen's heads.

"That depends, Blondie, you here to dance or bust the place up?" a gravely voice asked. The suited men parted to reveal a burly, bearded man wearing black slacks and vest over a white dress shirt.

"Hey!" Nora protested angrily. "Nobody gets to call her Blondie but me! You got that, buddy?" The orange-haired hellion marched past the guns, pointedly ignoring them, to stand with her arms crossed in front of the man and look up at him with a withering glare.

"Friend of yours?" Junior asked.

"Girlfriend, actually," Yang smirked. "And no, Junior, we're just here to dance. No trouble, no business. Just dancing and drinking."

"Well then," he smirked, sweeping his hand to the side. "Come right on in!"

The armed men quickly secured their firearms and melted away into the crowd. Yang walked forward, tilting her head to her friends.

"So come on, then!" she encouraged.

With shared helpless shrugs, the rest of the party followed the blonde. Nora trailed behind, pointing two fingers at her eyes first and then at Junior. "I'm watching you," she mouthed, before trotting off to catch up with her lover.

"So, I take it there's some history here?" Pyrrha asked loudly over the dance beat.

"Oh, well yeah, just a little. Nothing important. But like I said, this place is great!" Yang led them over to the bar first. "Two Strawberry Sunrises, please, one with ice, one without. Oh, and do you still have those little umbrellas? Great, thanks."

The other girls ordered their drinks, Weiss and Pyrrha glasses of wine while Blake had a martini. Ruby lingered at the bar to whisper her order and brought it to the table with the others somewhat embarrassedly.

"Ruby, you don't need to be ashamed of not liking alcohol," Blake said gently as she pulled her girlfriend into the seat next to her.

Pyrrha leaned across the table so she wouldn't need to shout. "What did you end up getting?"

Ruby sighed. "Apple juice," she admitted, her eyes downcast. "It looks less dorky than if I get milk. Oh, Blake! You got a run in your stockings already!"

"Shoot," the Faunus sighed. "And these were brand new. Anybody bring extras?"

Only Ruby nodded. "But I don't think mine will fit you," the petite girl stated.

"No, they won't." Blake rose from the table. "Be back in a sec."

"Here, I'll go with you," Ruby said consideringly, hopping up from her chair after one more quick sip from her glass. The pair of them headed towards the restroom hand in hand.

"So, you guys ready to hit the dance floor?" Yang asked, her brows raised.

"No, you two go ahead, we'll be along in a minute," Pyrrha replied.

Nora didn't need further encouragement in dragging her girlfriend off by the hand, diving enthusiastically into the surging crowd of dancers.

The redheaded amazonian girl leaned over and placed her lips next to Weiss' ear. "I know there's a lot of people out there, but we could just linger on the edge, that way you won't get crowded."

Weiss smiled as she turned her head to place a quick kiss on Pyrrha's lips. "You are so considerate," she murmured. "How did you know I was getting anxious?"

"Your death grip on my hand was a pretty good indicator."

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry…"

"It's fine, really! Just know I am here for you. I want to do this with you, as a new experience, but only if you wish to do so." Pyrrha smiled brilliantly, her emerald eyes sparkling in the rotating lights overhead. "Whatever we do tonight, we do together."

Weiss nodded with an answering smile. "Together," she agreed.

Ruby and Blake returned, the Faunus finishing stuffing her stocking into her belt pouch. "We ready to dance?" Ruby asked excitedly.

Weiss nodded once more, though she only had eyes for her girlfriend. "Absolutely," she stated.

Truth be told, all six of the girls had a wonderful time bouncing up and down to the thumping music. Inhibitions were loosened and joyful laughter was shared by all of them.

After three songs were finished, by consensus they all staggered back to their table, giggling and chatting excitedly.

"Oh, my goodness, I had no idea that could be so much fun!" Pyrrha laughed.

Weiss giggled unabashedly as she wrapped her arm around her girlfriend's waist. "Not like the school dances, is it?"

"Nope, not at all!" Ruby agreed happily. "Weiss, Pyrrha… this was an awesome idea."

"Even if it was ours first," Yang snickered.

Weiss stuck her tongue out at the blonde, causing everyone to bark out a startled laugh. "What, I can't live a little?" the heiress snickered.

"Alright, bathroom break, and then on to the next activity!" Ruby cheered. "Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Blake smiled, finishing off her drink. "I'm good, though, no need to make another trip."

Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora rose to their feet. "Be right back!" Nora said cheerfully. She paused though before leaving and reached over to touch Yang on the nose. "Boop!" she giggled, dashing off after the other couple.

"Why does she always do that, Yang?" Ruby asked, humor dancing in her silver eyes.

"It's just a thing," Yang replied with a soft smile. "It's her way of saying she loves me."

"Really?" Blake asked. "But I've seen her do it to Ren as well."

The blonde shrugged unconcernedly. "And he's like a brother to her, so she loves him as well. It's no biggie."

"You two have the most interesting relationship," Blake murmured into the stillness as the song changed over to the next on the playlist.

Yang tilted her head consideringly. "Well, yeah, I suppose we do at that."

The group gathered once more, with a relatively pleasant send-off from Junior, though mostly consisting of a mixture of thanks for their business and hoping to never see Yang again, before calling another cab to their next destination.

Once they were all piled in snugly, Yang called out the address to the driver.

"Where in Vale is that?" Blake asked curiously, spitting out Ruby's hair from her mouth.

"Little further downtown," Yang replied, attempting to cop a surreptitious feel of her girlfriend, who fended her off with a giggle. "We could have walked, but I figured we could use the rest after dancing."

"Wow, Yang, that was almost considerate of you," Weiss remarked dryly but with a slight smile.

Pyrrha poked her side, making her squeal softly. "Behave," the redhead murmured.

"Onward!" Ruby cheered excitedly, bouncing around on Blake's lap and jostling the rest of the passengers. "Off to our next exciting destination!"

"Ruby, you just elbowed my boob," Yang complained.

"Oops, sorry Yang!"

"To be fair, they're a pretty big target," Pyrrha snickered.

"Pyrrha!" the blonde exclaimed cheerfully. "Nice burn!" She held out her fist in front of Ruby's nose, which Pyrrha bumped with her own from the other side after a small amount of squirming to free it.

They piled out of the car with much less grace than previously in front of a wide business front simply labeled 'Sammy's'. The parking lot out front was lined with vehicles of dubious vintage, including several motorcycles.

"And this is another, er, safe place, right?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"Naturally. Oh, look at this vintage model!" Yang exclaimed, drooling over one of the motorcycles. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"You're lucky I know you'll still look at me that way," Nora laughed, tugging on the blonde's arm. "Come _onnn_ Blondie! We gots some poolin' to do!"

The bar itself was surprisingly well-kept, at odds with the slightly decrepit exterior. Half of the common area was devoted to seating, while the entire rear was filled with a dozen pool tables, only two of which were currently vacant.

Yang and Nora sauntered up to the bar to arrange things, while the other four observed the clientele curiously.

"Well, it's a different crowd than the last place," Pyrrha stated optimistically. "But it seems calm enough, with decent people."

Blake eyed a group of rough-looking bikers nervously, willing her ears to stay still behind her bow. "Most of them," she murmured.

Yang and Nora approached them, each clutching a trio of pool cues. "Okay, we got a table!" Nora said excitedly, bouncing up and down on her feet. "Now we just need teams!"

"How about…" Weiss started slowly. "We split up the couples, and Yang and Ruby have to be on different teams."

"I find that acceptable," Ruby said loftily. "So long as you know, whoever is on the other team is toast."

"Tall words there, pint-size," Yang snickered.

They split into teams of three players each, Yang, Blake, and Pyrrha against Ruby, Nora, and Weiss.

"Okay, Team Short Rounds goes first!" Nora shouted excitedly as she trotted over to their table.

"Short Rounds?" Weiss objected.

"Well, we are the three shortest," Ruby explained.

"Oh." The heiress looked over at the grinning trio of taller girls. "Well, then, time to teach those oafs a lesson." She gave Pyrrha a wink and a grin.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, Snowflake," Pyrrha snickered, rolling her pool cue in between her fingers eagerly.

"Um, guys?" Blake said hesitantly. "Am… I the only one who doesn't know how to play?"

The others blinked at each other, looking around. "Well, I've never actually played," Ruby admitted. "But I know the rules. Since we're breaking, you two can explain the rules to Blakey."

"Hang on, we didn't agree to you guys breaking," Yang objected.

"Beauty before age," Nora snickered as she racked.

"What?" Pyrrha snorted humorously.

"Sorry, too late to argue!" the pinkette exclaimed, quickly taking position and firing off her shot. The balls scattered to the corners, three of them going in.

"Stripes!" Ruby cheered. "And we got two already!"

By agreement, Weiss took the next shot, lining up carefully but scratching when Yang sneezed violently.

"Yang!" the heiress complained loudly.

"Oops, sorry Princess, it's a mite dusty in here," Yang smirked, sauntering over to the other side of the table.

"So, that's how it is, eh?" Nora chuckled.

"Oh, it is on now," Ruby agreed. The two girls shared a fist bump.

The game got considerably more heated after that, even if it remained good-natured. There were quite a few 'accidental' bumps, which tapered off as the other two team members guarded the player making the shot. The subtle sneezes turned into shouts, and Yang went so far as to lean over the table, exposing her considerable cleavage to distract her girlfriend.

"You fight dirty, Blondie," Nora grinned.

"Might say the same of you, Valkyrie," Yang snorted as she set up for her shot. "I see the bedroom looks you're giving me."

"Wait, what?" Ruby murmured to Weiss. "What's a bedroom look?"

Weiss took Ruby by the chin and swiveled it over to the punkette, who was pouring all of her effort into the sultriest look she could manage. "That, Ruby, is a bedroom look."

"Oooh," Ruby said in wonderment. "Um. Should I try that?"

"Please don't," Yang said flatly as she pounded the cue ball. "I will pay you to refrain."

"Well, refill my apple juice and I'll think about it," Ruby smirked to her big sister.

The blonde rolled her eyes, signaling to a waitress with her empty beer bottle. "'Nother round, please!"

"I'm fine," Pyrrha assured her, cradling the same bottle she'd started with. "Not really much of a beer person, really."

Soon enough they were down to just the eight ball, both teams battling back and forth to either get a good angle or to mess up the other team's next shot. Finally, Yang hit true, and the black ball went rolling towards the corner pocket that she had called…

Only to rebound off of a tiny white glyph.

The others stared at the pool table in shock before swiveling their gaze towards a certain platinum-haired girl.

"Oops," Weiss giggled.

"Weiss?" Ruby said with a slowly spreading smile. "Did… you just cheat?"

"Well, maybe a little."

"A little!" Yang exclaimed with a roaring laugh. "You can't get much more blatant than that!"

"Well, okay then, maybe a lot," Weiss laughed lightly. "I knew you had the shot, I just…"

"It's okay, Princess," Yang chuckled. "That was funny as hell, well played."

"Well, you guys still get the game," Ruby admitted. "Best two out of three?"

"Same teams?" Blake grinned.

"Absolutely," Nora grinned back.

As they set the table back up again, the six girls turned at a loud noise from the front of the bar. Numerous newcomers were filling up the establishment, almost all of them bikers, and not all of them looking like the peaceful type.

"Um," Pyrrha said hesitantly. "Perhaps we should continue on to our next venue instead?"

"Aw, but we still have the table for another hour!" Yang protested. Both Weiss and Pyrrha gave her pleading looks, which caused to sigh in defeat. "Yeah, okay, if you guys are uncomfortable we can go. We're doing this as a group, right?"

Ruby snuck up to her and grabbed her sister around the waist. "You know, you're pretty awesome, Yang."

"Please don't inflate her ego further," Weiss snarked. "That said… thank you, Yang, really."

"It's not a problem," Yang said breezily as she downed her beer. Before the group could gather themselves, several of the newcomers had made their way over to their pool table.

"Hey there, pretty lil' things," One of them drawled, tugging his dirty vest over his gut that strained against his belt and slicking his hair back. "You weren't about to take off, were ya? Party's just getting started!"

"And yes, we were about to leave," Weiss replied stiffly.

"Yeah, table's all yours if you want it," Yang said with a hard smile. "Still got an hour on it."

"Mighty kind of you, missy," the man leered. "Still like to have your company, though." His gaze slid hungrily down to the blonde's chest.

Yang just rolled her eyes, used to the lascivious attitudes of the clientele in such locations. "Whatever, dude, we're outta here."

The group tried to slide past the obnoxious man, but one of his buddies stepped up from the other side. "Aw, now, and you're all dressed up so fancy, why rush out?" he smirked, reaching out towards Blake's bow when she wasn't looking. As the raven-haired girl felt the tug on the top of her head, her eyes widened and she took a quick step back.

"Sonofa…" The guy gaped at the girl he'd been starting to harass. "This chick's a Faunus!"

"Ha, you don't say," the leader of the group of thugs sneered. "No animals inside, little chickie. Maybe we should teach you some manners, huh? Make you remember your place?"

Blake began to fearfully back up against the wall, her hands clenched at her sides, but before anyone could make another move Ruby was suddenly in front of her girlfriend in a flurry of rose petals. The small redhead had her arms crossed and gave the biker a glare.

"You're gonna have to go through me to get to my girlfriend," she stated flatly.

"Oh, yeah?" he chuckled. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem."

Yang stepped up next, with Weiss and Pyrrha sliding in behind her resolutely as well. The blonde bruiser flexed her hands and Ember Celica dropped to cover her fists. "How about now, jerkface?" she growled.

"Pfft, whatever. More fun for us then…"

"Hey, boys?" a cheerful voice sang out from behind. The three bikers in the front turned only to catch a barstool wielded by the orange-haired hellion in their stomachs. They let out a pained _whoof_ of air before sailing across the bar to land near the front entrance.

There was a moment's pause before the rest of the bar rose to their feet.

"Finally!" Nora cheered, lifting her bar stool over her head. "It's brawlin' time!"

Ruby hopped up onto their pool table. "Yang, Nora, give us some space!"

Yang smirked, slamming her fists together anticipatorily while Nora gave a rather evil little grin.

"Got it," Nora said, her voice dripping with gleeful violence.

The pair took off, Nora wielding her bar stool in a manner very reminiscent of Magnhild, taking out bikers left and right, while Yang waded in with her usual blunt strategy of hitting everyone really hard with her fists.

It seemed to work well enough for her.

Weiss whirled her pool cue in her hand, tossing a white glyph at her feet to propel her into a throng of bikers moving in from the left flank. Pyrrha accepted Ruby's tossed cue, and with her own in her other hand, she waded in behind her girlfriend.

"Ruby!" the Faunus shouted, slipping her pantyhose back out of her pouch. "Throw me the cue ball!"

The redheaded team leader bent down quickly and tossed the white ball at her girlfriend, who slipped it down the leg of the unblemished side, whirling the improvisational weapon around her head. It shot out to catch a biker upside his head with a resounding _crack_ , dropping him like a stone. With a tight grin, the Faunus made a somersaulting leap in behind Yang and Nora, spinning about with kicks and hits.

Ruby stayed up on the table, throwing highly accurate pool balls to bean opponents upside their head. Once her original table ran out she flipped over to another to repeat the process.

Pyrrha was whirling about, smashing her cues into those who had the misfortune to try and fight with her. Weiss, however, quickly got separated and started to get swarmed under.

Ruby noted her teammate in distress, and let out a shout as she flung another pair of balls into the fray. "Checkmate!"

Blake glanced over her shoulder before doing a series of backflips, landing on top of one of the bikers menacing Weiss. She whipped her weapon out at another large brute of a man, sending him sprawling backwards and giving Weiss some breathing room. The heiress flung up another white glyph, sending her smashing through the rest and barrelling them over as she slashed with her pool cue.

As Weiss headed over to back up Pyrrha again, Ruby flung her last ball before grabbing up a pool cue of her own. "Ladybug!" she called out, dropping to the floor and speeding off in a flurry of rose petals. She arced in under Blake's wild swings, smashing her cue into their opponent's knees as Blake assaulted their heads with her bolo.

Before long an eerie silence settled over the bar as all of the other patrons had either fled or were down on the floor. A few groans were heard, but for the most part it was a typical scene for the end of a battle.

"Well," Yang smirked as she reloaded Ember Celica. "That was a thing."

"And we should get moving," Pyrrha advised, tossing her broken pool cues to the side. "Before the authorities show up."

"Yeah, we shouldn't be proving Jaune and Ren right," Yang agreed. She glanced at her partner concernedly. "You okay, Blakey?"

"I'm fine," the raven-haired Faunus replied. "I… Thank you, all of you. It's… nice knowing you have my back."

"No matter what," Nora agreed. "And besides, that was the coolest bar fight I've ever been in! We gotta do this again sometime!"

"I think I might pass on that," Weiss laughed breathlessly.

Yang turned to spy her sister picking her way back towards the entrance. "Hey, wait up, Ruby, we're coming!"

"Oh, yeah, I just gotta do something first… Aha!" she exclaimed, before pulling her foot back and repeatedly slamming it into the trio of original assailants. "Jerks," she muttered, dusting her battle skirt off as she walked away. "Teach you to mess with my girlfriend."

Blake laughed as she hopped over a few more prone bodies before wrapping her arms around the small redhead. "My hero," she purred, nibbling on her ear.

"Um," Ruby blushed. "Blaaake…"

"Oh, hey, do you guys get horny too after a fight?" Nora asked innocently. "I thought that was just us."

"Nora!" four voices exclaimed in unison, while Yang just chuckled and pulled her girlfriend into a one-armed hug.

"I think maybe we're the only ones to admit it," the blonde snickered.

"No, just… no," Weiss stated, her face as red as the other trio of girls striding out of the bar.

"You can just cut the sexual tension with a sword," Nora laughed quietly as she and Yang brought up the rear.

"Yeah… though I'm still not comfortable with the idea of Ruby and Blake… you know…"

"Oh, relax, Blondie, and use your eyes. They're _so_ into each other, but not in that way yet. Gonna be a long while till you have to worry."

Yang wrapped an arm around Nora's shoulders as she looked down at her consideringly. "Every so often, you really do blow my mind, Valkyrie."

"Oh, yeah? Is that all I blow?" Nora waited for her delivery until she was within earshot of the others, earning her another shocked denunciation of her by name.

"And then you do that," Yang laughed. "There's the Nora I've come to expect."

"Well, I gotta keep things interesting, you know?"

"Oh, you do, Nora, you do."

Their cab showed up just as sirens began to sound in the distance, and they piled in hastily without regard for couples in order to make a quick exit.

"Nora," Ruby exclaimed in a muffled voice. "How can you possibly be this heavy?"

"All muscle, babe," the pinkette snickered.

"So, do we know where we're going, other than 'Just drive'?" Blake asked, her head ducked down into her shoulders as she perched in Pyrrha's lap.

"Um, I thought you guys had an address?" Weiss asked, squirming slightly. "Yang, what on earth do you have poking me?"

Both Nora and Yang erupted into uproarious laughter, causing the heiress to roll her eyes. "Oum, you two are so immature," she sighed. "Seriously, though, do we have an address?"

"Excuse me," Ruby called out breathlessly to the cab driver. "Do you know a good karaoke place nearby?"

"Yeah, sure kid, there's one me an' the missus go to, the Kit Kat Lounge. I'll take ya there."

"Thanks, mister!" Ruby replied with muted enthusiasm. In a quieter voice, she pleaded with Nora to shift slightly to allow her to continue to breathe.

Eventually, they piled out at the next location, one in a slightly more upscale part of Vale. The club was a standalone building with only a short line out front.

"Alright!" Ruby cheered, whether from excitement for their final activity or from relief at getting out from under Nora's weight. "Let's head on in!"

The six of them strolled over languidly, still feeling a little peaked from the bar fight.

"I think perhaps that was the most interesting combat situation I've ever found myself in," Pyrrha noted.

"Completely ruined my stocking, though," Blake lamented. "Still, it was… fun. More so than I expected."

"Well, of course it was!" Ruby replied, her silver eyes twinkling. "We did it together!"

"Is has definitely been a night of firsts," Weiss admitted with a wry grin. "I don't think we'll be able to top this evening."

"The night is still young, ladies!" Yang said with a toothy smile. "Any objections to Nora and I taking the first round?"

"Yang, I think you two might be the only ones doing the actual singing," Ruby laughed.

"Most definitely," Pyrrha added. "We're just here to watch. And perhaps laugh."

"Perhaps," Weiss chuckled. "But in a totally non-judgemental way."

"Pfft, fine," Nora said with a dignified snort as they entered the lounge. "Let's go sign in, Blondie."

The other four made their way down to the floor of the bar, eyeing a skinny blond girl dressed in a slim black dress who was currently on stage and singing a country song.

"She's not bad," Pyrrha murmured.

"Eh," Weiss shrugged.

"Don't you sing, Weiss?" Blake asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes as they sat around a table near the middle of the floor.

"Well, yes, but I don't do… karaoke," the platinum-haired girl stated, her lip curling slightly. "Listening is just fine."

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say, Weiss." She held her hand up to flag down a waitress. "Hi! Can we order some drinks? Oh, and do you have appetizers? I'm, like, famished."

"Worked up an appetite, did we?" Blake snickered softly.

"You bet I did," her girlfriend replied as she perused the menu she'd been handed. "Oooh, look at all the goodies… Okay, let's get… an order of onion rings, fries, hmm… mozzarella sticks… Blakey, can I borrow some lien?"

"Yes, Ruby," the Faunus sighed amusedly.

"Cool, then let's do the half pizza and this quesadilla thingie as well. Okay? Oh, yeah, and can I also just get a water please?"

"Are you sure you got enough food?" Pyrrha asked with a smile.

"Well, I need to save room for dessert," Ruby replied seriously.

Yang and Nora returned bearing sly grins on their faces.

"What is up with you two?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

Yang held an affronted hand to her chest. "Who, us?"

"Yes, you. You're up to something."

"Perish the thought, Princess. We're just gearing up for our turn, we got two ahead of us."

Only Yang and Nora ended up ordering alcohol this time around, which they claimed to be necessary fortification for their upcoming performance. Meanwhile, the group sat by to listen to a man singing in a pleasant tenor to a popular pop hit and then another slightly older woman who did a classic rock song, belting out the lyrics in a surprisingly strong alto.

As the last performer left to generous applause from the audience, Yang and Nora's names were called out.

"Whelp, we're up!" the blonde declared, setting her beer bottle down. "Let's kick this off with a Yang!"

"Oh, Oum, now she's descended into terrible puns," Weiss moaned, watching the giggling couple stagger off to the stage. "How embarrassing will this be?"

"For them or for us?" Ruby asked, grinning.

"Yes."

"Well then, likely very much so."

As the couple entered onto the stage, her friends decided to go all out, applauding and whistling unabashedly for them. Even Weiss, rolling her eyes humorously, joined in with a loud cheer.

Without further ado, the pair broke out into a popular song by The Achieve Men. Neither one started out in tune, but after only a few seconds they managed to find their groove, even though one or the other would break off into giggles every other verse or so. Finally, though, they finished strong, earning loud applause as the audience appreciated how much fun they seemed to be having up there.

"You two are so cute!" one of the other couples seated around the tables called out to them as they made their way back to their seats.

"Nicely done, girls," Pyrrha applauded as they walked up, taking brief bows before collapsing into the same chair. Yang tucked Nora into her lap, sharing a grin with her girlfriend.

"Wait till the next act," Yang snickered.

And then the announcer strode up to the stage. "Next up is… Weiss Schnee!"

The platinum-haired heiress paled, if that were possible, and turned an incredulous look upon the giggling couple. "You two… are so dead…"

"C'mon, Weiss!" Nora laughed. "You're up! We even picked out a song for you!"

The announcer was searching the audience until Yang's helpful waving and finger-pointing had him looking in the right direction. "Come now, Miss Schnee, you're up!"

"Weiss?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly, searching her girlfriend's rigid face.

"No, it's fine," Weiss finally sighed, standing regally. Without another word, she strode off towards the stage.

"I can't believe you two did that," Ruby hissed. "That was really mean."

"Don't worry, sis, wait till she sees what we picked out for her," Yang replied. "We didn't even think about it until we saw the song listed."

Weiss got to the stage, looking down at the prompter, and her expression changed to one that startled most of the group still at the table.

She was smiling softly.

"See," Nora said smugly. "Toldya." She held out an upraised thumb to the platinum-haired girl, who rolled her eyes and nodded slightly before approaching the microphone.

"Um, hello," she said quietly. "This song is for the most amazing girl in my life, and I hope this can begin to adequately express how much she means to me." And then, without further ado, the music began.

The soft sounds resolved into a sweet melody, and then Weiss bowed her head, eyes closed, and sang.

It was a love ballad, but what was most remarkable was Weiss' voice. None of the group had actually ever heard Weiss sing before, and all of them were literally struck dumb by her sweet, soaring vocals as she professed to her one true love the depths of her feelings.

"I had no idea she could sing that well," Ruby finally whispered.

Blake shook her head mutely, but then nudged her girlfriend as she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Pyrrha was sitting enraptured in her chair, hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face.

Weiss' angelic voice soared into a lovely crescendo, finally ending with an undying declaration of devotion, offering her life and soul to her love.

When the music stopped, Weiss stood in place, her head raised with tears of her own trickling down her cheeks. Finally, the room erupted into thunderous applause, the audience rising to their feet with more than a few sniffles.

Ruby turned to Pyrrha again, but she was already gone, charging the stage. She took it in one leap before tackling her girlfriend in a tight hug, kissing her with all the enthusiasm she could pour into the effort.

If anything, the roar of the crowd increased.

After another fifteen minutes, the couple was back in their seats, firmly holding hands and grinning, somewhat chagrined.

"So, Weiss," Yang said with a soft and knowing smile. "Are we forgiven?"

"Yes, you are," Weiss sighed. "Dolt."

"Whew," Ruby laughed, wiping at her eyes. "Well, I think this is the best way to end the evening. What do you guys think?"

"Yeah, I don't see how we can top everything so far," Blake agreed. "Besides which, it's getting really late."

"Yes," Pyrrha said softly, having eyes only for her girlfriend. "We should get back."

The group watched the couple grin at one another before Weiss turned to the others on her team. "Yang, do you recall the last time you put us out of our room?"

"Um, yeah, I said I'd owe you one."

"I am calling it in."

"You… what?" Yang blinked her violet eyes. "Weiss, it's gonna be three in the morning by the time we get back!"

"And you may bunk with Nora."

"Well, what about Ruby and Blake?" the blonde retorted.

"They may use Pyrrha's bed and I shall owe them one."

"Just to clarify, that's one for each of us," Ruby stated with a gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, that's fine."

"Wait, you're okay with this Ruby?" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby shrugged unconcernedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Blakey?"

"No worries here," the Faunus replied breezily.

"Unbelievable," Yang sighed as the group rose from their chairs. "What I get for helping someone be romantic."

Pyrrha paused by the blonde bruiser and placed a kiss on her cheek. "And we appreciate it more than you realize," she said with a smile. "I will also, er, owe you."

"Well, then, I guess that's okay," Yang grinned, somewhat pleased with herself.

"C'mon guys," Nora called out as she led the procession towards the entrance. "Last one to the cab is the last one to use the one itty bitty bathroom now going to be shared by the rest of us!"

Yang, Ruby, and Blake shared a horrified glance before bolting out, following the trail of Nora's giggles.

"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked softly as they followed at a more sedate pace, arms wrapped around each other.

"More than I have been about anything else in my life up to this point," Pyrrha declared with a gentle smile. "You?"

"So long as you're as patient as you always are with me… Yes. Yes, I am." The heiress paused at the entrance, looking up searchingly with her ice blue irises into the bright emerald ones that so enchanted her beyond measure. "I love you, Pyrrha."

"And I love you, Weiss." The redhead placed a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "Let's go back to your place."

"Yes. Let's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, couple of notes here. I'm gonna assume from the Yellow Trailer that Yang's ordered drink was alcoholic, which meant that, despite Junior's protests, she's old enough to drink. Which, in my head, means Remnant takes a more sensible approach like the Germans when it comes to legal drinking age.
> 
> I've been wanting to do an action chapter with these ladies for some time, kind of reminiscent of the Best Day Ever food fight. It occurred to me how much fun they could have in a bar fight. Plus, I have a thing for writing bar fights in my stories. Considering that I've never been in one myself, I think perhaps there's something wrong with me.
> 
> So, a little bit of fun, a little bit of action, and a little bit of romance. Good times all around.


	8. Yuletide Lemonade, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY and their girlfriends celebrate the Yuletide in varying fashions. While Yang and Nora spread the collateral damage from an epic snowfight, Ruby and Blake enjoy the quieter side of the Yule celebration in Vale, and Weiss introduces her girlfriend Pyrrha to her sister Winter.

**Beacon Academy**  
**One Week Prior To Finals**

It had started out as a rather small affair, but it didn't take long to escalate.

Beacon saw its first snowfall of the season, several inches worth that blanketed the grounds of the prestigious academy. Most looked out at the picturesque landscape and saw the pristine beauty. There was, however, a certain mischievous couple who instead saw opportunity.

Yang and Nora had teamed up to ambush Ren and Jaune while the latter worked on building a snowman. Like any mission, they had meticulously planned their sortie. The perfect vantage point was found, ammunition was secured, and stealth was maintained at all times.

Once the pair had a rather large pile of snowballs stacked up behind their sheltering hedge, they stood up, a snowball in each hand, and let fly.

"Ambush!" Nora helpfully announced as the first hit knocked Jaune's hat off his head.

Ren turned, avoiding the first snowball by sheer happenstance, but Yang's follow-up got him square in the chest, knocking the lithe hunter-in-training back on his rear.

"This means war!" Jaune hollered, abandoning the snowman effort and instead quickly switching gears over to a snow fort. "Ren, distract the enemy!"

Ren rolled his eyes as he crouched behind the meager shelter of the partially-built snowman. "This is becoming a habit," he grumbled mildly. Scooping up a handful of snow, he took off in a run at an angle towards the sheltering hedge. Powerfully-thrown snowballs whizzed by his head with inches to spare as he cranked his hand back and let fly, only to have his projectile hit in midair by another one. The resulting cloud of snow temporarily blinded him, causing him to stumble. Three impacts later he was out flat on his back, gazing up at the grey sky and wondering if Yang and Nora needed another member on their snowball team.

Defection was not out of the question at this point.

"Mission accomplished," he called out weakly, not bothering to sit up.

"Aha!" Jaune yelled, leaping to his feet and flinging a snowball in the general direction of the hedges. He was immediately pelted with several more, popping his shield out to lend him cover as he scampered back behind cover again.

"Ren, we need a plan!" the blonde leader of Team JNPR called out.

"I've got one," Ren replied calmly from where he lay out of sight. "I'm good right here."

"Ugh," Jaune groaned, unwilling to accept defeat. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Team CVFY strolling by and giving him curious stares.

"Coco!" he called out gleefully. "Requesting assistance here!"

"For what?" the brunette asked wryly, swathed in a stylish dark brown cashmere overcoat.

Jaune poked his head out, only to duck back down to avoid another pair of projectiles. "For a snowball fight!"

Coco glanced at her teammates. While both Velvet and Fox wore eager grins, Yatsuhashi was as imperturbable as ever, simply shrugging to indicate his willingness to go along with her decision.

"Alright, then, time to add a little caffeine into the mix," Coco smiled anticipatorily, slipping her gloves on and marching forward.

The flanking maneuver was noticed by the entrenched blonde and orange-haired girls, who quickly switched targets to begin pelting the newcomers with vicious throws. Velvet giggled and skipped to the side, tossing a snowball of her own with her innate Faunus accuracy. Yang let out a yelp as the hit scored home.

Taking advantage of the momentary lull in suppressing fire, the defenders quickly shifted onto the attack. Yatsuhashi scooped up a large armful of snow to send it arcing over the hedge. Both Nora and Yang squealed from the artillery strike, jumping to the side and receiving several accurate throws from Coco and Fox once they'd been exposed.

"Yang!" the pinkette yelled as she scampered back under cover. "We need reinforcements!"

"I'm on it!" Yang yelled back, pulling her scroll out with numb fingers and dialing up her sister as she crouched behind a hedge. "Cover me!"

Up in Team RWBY's room, Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Pyrrha were all snuggled up together on the floor to watch a seasonal movie. Ruby's scroll began to vibrate, and she pulled it out to answer the call. Before she could speak, she had to pull it back away from her ear, wincing from the volume.

"We need help!" Yang was hollering. "Outside courtyard, stat!"

"What is it?" Weiss asked, concerned, as Ruby leapt up to peer out the window. "Grimm? White Fang?"

"Nope," Ruby smirked. "Snowball fight."

Weiss let out an irritated sigh. "That oaf. I suppose she and Nora got in over their heads."

"Well…" Ruby said slowly, craning her neck. "Looks like they're pinned down by Jaune, Ren… and all of Team CVFY."

"Wow, that's impressive," Blake commented. "So, do we help or sit it out?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ruby grinned as she turned. "Of course we help!"

"How did I know she was going to say that," Weiss grumbled, accepting Pyrrha's help in getting to her feet.

"Well, you _are_ her partner," the redhead smiled as she headed for the door. "I'll get my winter gear on and meet you in the hallway."

Within a few scant minutes, the pair of couples were creeping forward around the edge of the building.

"Weiss, you scout ahead," Ruby whispered.

"Why me?" the heiress objected.

"Because you're dressed all in white and will blend in," her partner replied. "Besides, they won't be expecting us, it's safe."

"Fine," Weiss replied grumpily, stalking forward. "I'll let you know if the way is clear."

The other three waited anxiously as Weiss rounded the bend. All that was heard were several muffled _whump_ s, and then Weiss calmly walked back around to rejoin them, covered from head to toe in snow.

The heiress spat out a mouthful of the white substance. "The way is most certainly _not_ clear," she stated flatly. "I do believe they are expecting us."

"Will we let this affront stand?" Ruby demanded as a smiling Pyrrha carefully brushed the clinging snow off of her girlfriend's torso.

"No!" Blake replied with a feral grin.

"Then let's get 'em! Banzai!"

"Banzai!" the others returned, though Weiss' cheer was notably muted. With snowballs in hand, the four girls rounded the corner and flung themselves into action.

Weiss concentrated on getting to her beleaguered teammate and her girlfriend, maintaining a black glyph to the side that absorbed any snowballs flung her way. Ruby took off in a flurry of rose petals, flinging a pair of snowballs as she went. Velvet went flying backwards from the speed-assisted hit, her bunny ears flopping when she hit the ground, while Yatsuhashi simply batted the incoming strike away with his hand.

Fox and Coco held their fire until they saw Ruby skid to a stop, then let fly. Both snowballs hit her in the stomach, sending her to the ground. Yang quickly reached out to pull her sister to safety.

"Glad you could join the fight, sis!" the blonde said cheerfully.

"Happy to help," Ruby wheezed, trying to get her breath back.

Meanwhile, both Blake and Pyrrha were steadily advancing, pelting Jaune and Ren with hits while deftly avoiding the return fire. Jaune eventually resorted to simply hiding behind his shield as he made for his previous shelter of the partial snowman. Ren took advantage of the cover afforded by his team leader and would pop up every so often to keep their opponents on their toes.

Eventually, Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha made it to cover with the other three.

"Right," Pyrrha said, her cheeks rosy and an excited twinkle in her eyes. "What's the plan?"

"Well, we're six on six now," Ruby started, gathering up some more snow into her gloved hand. "I say we go on the offensive and overwhelm them."

"That's your plan of attack?" Weiss asked skeptically. "Attack?"

"I can get behind this plan," Nora stated eagerly.

"It has the virtue of being nice and simple," Blake added.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's do this."

Once everyone had a snowball in each hand, they shared a look. "Ready?" Ruby asked. "Then, let's go!"

The six girls leapt to their feet, ready to let fly. They were unprepared, however, for the barrage that assaulted them.

"Retreat!" Ruby yelled before getting a snowball right in her open mouth. She fell to the ground, gagging slightly as she crawled back under cover.

"What was that?" Yang asked worriedly.

"That," Blake said calmly as she shook the snow off of her hat. "Was at least three more teams."

"Those sneaky little buggers!" Nora exclaimed. "They countered our reinforcements with reinforcements of their own!"

"Well, only one thing to do," Yang sighed.

"Surrender?" Weiss asked hopefully.

"Nope! Call for more reinforcements!"

Fortunately, both Sun and Neptune were still in town, and they dragged a less-than-enthusiastic Scarlet and Sage with them. Also, since both of Team RWBY's friends had started dating members of Team NDGO, who were visiting from Shade Academy as their winter break had already started, the entrenched girls were soon fortified by Nebula, Dew, Gwen, and Octavia. Gwen, in particular, was grinning eagerly in anticipation, though the undergarbed Dew knelt by her new extended team, shivering slightly.

"If I'd known a snowball fight was on today's agenda," the dark blonde Vacuo native complained, "I would have dressed warmer. It's not nearly this cold back home."

"Don't you worry, gorgeous," Sun grinned. "I'll keep you warm afterwards."

Blake snorted and slapped her monkey Faunus friend lightly on the arm. "Ease up there, lover boy. We have a fight to win first."

"We got everybody?" Ruby asked the crowded area behind the hedge. Yang, Nora, Neptune, and Pyrrha were busy tossing out random snowballs to make sure their opponents didn't approach too closely. "Right. Here's the plan, then…"

"Is it a better plan than just _attack_?" Weiss asked humorously.

Ruby smirked and flicked her partner lightly on the forehead as she used to do to her so often. "Yes, it is. Team Sun has the left flank, Team Indigo has the right. Keep them occupied and engaged until we reveal our secret weapon."

"Wait, secret weapon?" Nebula objected. "What secret weapon?"

"Well, silly, if we told you," Nora giggled when she dropped back under cover. "Then it wouldn't be a secret."

Yang by this point had dropped back and begin to roll balls of snow back uphill towards their impromptu fort, creating snowman-sized ammunition. Once she had four of them, she grinned and gave her sister a thumbs up.

"Okay guys, this is it," Ruby said anticipatorily. "Go! Go! Go!"

The pair of teams broke out from cover, laughing and giggling madly as they engaged the enemy.

"Ready Weiss?" Ruby asked.

The heiress clutched her left hand in her pocket. "I don't have all that much," she warned. "These four might be the limit."

"It'll be enough," Ruby assured her. "Nora, Blake, Pyrrha! Cover fire!"

The three girls popped up from cover and began to toss their meager snowball supply towards the advancing enemy, now looking to be perhaps a good quarter of the entirety of Beacon academy as their ranks swelled with eager participants. Yang crouched down and lifted up the first of the giant-sized snowballs.

Weiss flicked her wrist and a large white glyph came to life at Yang's feet. "Just drop it straight down," the platinum-haired girl advised, twirling her fingers to get the angle right. "Team CVFY first?" she asked Ruby.

"Yep!" the diminutive redheaded leader replied, scanning the battlefield. "Let loose whenever you're ready!"

Without further ado, Yang dropped the armful of snow onto the glyph and leapt back to grab another. As the snow arced over the heads of Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi, Weiss pulled her other hand out and twirled it, using some of the dust she'd stashed in her pocket several days ago. The giant snowball increased in size tenfold, covering the entire area that Team CVFY occupied.

"Oh," Yatsuhashi intoned.

"My," Fox breathed.

"Kittens," Velvet squeaked.

Before any of them could move, they were blanketed under a good three feet of snow.

A stunned silence fell over the courtyard, broken after only a few seconds by Nora's maniacal laugh.

"Ahahaha!" she cackled. "Flee while you still can, puny mortals!"

Two more enormous projectiles were sent out in rapid succession, one towards each flank, quickly growing in size again and blanketing the opposition in deep snow.

Jaune struggled to emerge from the wintry prison. "Retreat!" he called out in panic. He finally got himself freed, only to be hit in rapid procession by his teammates, Nora and Pyrrha.

Weiss let the last artillery strike fly at the fleeing backs of the other students, just for good measure. Soon enough, the only ones left standing on the field of battle were the victors.

"Woohoo!" Yang cheered, pumping her fists into the air. "Now _that_ was an epic snowball fight!"

"P- p- p- please," Dew chattered as Sun rubbed her arms from behind. "C- c- can we g- g- get some hot c- c- cocoa now?"

"Yep!" Ruby grinned. "Hot cocoa courtesy of Yang and Nora, the instigators of this whole mess!"

"Fair enough!" Nora laughed.

"To the cafeteria!" Yang called out. Her announcement was met with cheers as the extended group gratefully made their way into the building in question.

Ren pulled himself upright, brushing the snow off of his torso. "Knew I should have defected," he grumbled.

"Was that an option?" Velvet asked, carefully wringing the wet snow out of her fluffy ears.

"We'll keep it in mind next time," Fox laughed. "Hey, Coco, you okay?"

The brunette team leader shook her head solemnly. "Defeat leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

"Hmm," Yatsuhashi rumbled as he draped a friendly arm around her shoulders. "I know just the thing to wash it out and warm us all up at the same time."

Fox and Velvet grinned at each other. "Coffee," they sighed in unison.

The team made their way to follow the victors, Ren trailing in their wake.

Eventually, Jaune poked his head out, having finally dug his way back out from the second snow bank he'd found himself buried in. "What, everyone left already?" he snorted. "Typical."

The blonde glanced up to see a softly smiling Ren standing next to him.

"Ren, you came back!"

"Let's go, Jaune," his teammate said, offering him a hand up.

"Hot cocoa?" Jaune asked hopefully as he regained his feet.

"Hot cocoa," Ren agreed. The two boys walked off of the field of battle together back to the warmth and laughter of the cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look, it's a holiday special! Whee! I'm actually leaving this one open as I intend to add two more chapters to it, one each day before Christmas Day. I thought originally I'd just do one chapter from each couple's perspective, starting with Yang and Nora, but their activity in this first chapter sort of snowballed out of control. (See what I did there? Eh? Eh? Hmm, tough crowd.)


	9. Yuletide Lemonade, Part 2

**Beacon Academy**   
**Finals Week**

" _Blaaake_ ," a quiet voice whispered from below the edge of the bed.

The Faunus glanced up from her book, curious. Ruby only got that tone in her voice when she really needed to get her attention, yet she didn't appear to be anywhere in sight.

And then the soft voice called out again. " _Blaaakeyyy_..."

Sighing humorously, Blake set the book down and leaned over to peer onto the floor. Her girlfriend was lying there, silver eyes like saucers.

_Uh-oh, she's doing the face…_

"What do you want, Little Gem," Blake murmured, the corners of her mouth curling upward. They were all attempting to be as quiet as possible, as Weiss was the only one with an exam pending the next day. She'd abandoned the library as it was far too distracting, so instead the platinum-haired heiress had barricaded herself into her bunkbed. She'd tied sheets across the ends, building a fortress of solitude which only Pyrrha was allowed to disturb, so long as she brought an offering of refreshments.

"Can we go look at the lights in Vale?" Ruby whispered.

Blake's mouth finally broke into a fond smile. While she would refute the fact vehemently, the truth was she couldn't bring herself to deny the energetic little redhead anything when she was so intently pleading as she was now.

"Alright," she murmured in reply. "But then back to studying." All four of them had an exam the day after tomorrow, the last one remaining, but by this point, they were fairly certain of their ability to regurgitate the information regarding the biological properties of Grimm when asked to do so. Even Yang had given up for the evening, as she'd kidnapped Nora and taken her ice skating along with Jaune and Ren.

Blake swung her feet around and pulled her black snow boots on. They were a thoughtful gift from Sun before he had left for home, warm and fur-lined.

With an excited little giggle, Ruby rolled over to the other side of the room and grabbed her own normal red and black combat boots from under Weiss' bed.

A disheveled face, framed by a halo of silver hair in disarray, poked out from the seam in the blanket fort. "What are you doing?" Weiss hissed like an angry King Taijitu.

" _Eeep_!" Ruby squeaked, wilting under the glare from her irate partner.

"We're going out," Blake explained gently. "To, um, make sure you aren't disturbed."

"Good," Weiss exclaimed shortly, pulling her head back in.

Ruby inched backwards with her boots in hand. "She's really scary when she gets like this," she moaned.

Laughing softly, Blake ruffled her girlfriend's hair. "Come on, you. Let's go hit the town."

They exited their room, hand in hand, and saw an exhausted-looking Pyrrha walking towards them with a steaming cup in each hand.

"Oh, thank you so much," the redhead gushed as Blake paused to hold the door open for her.

Ruby laid a solemn hand on Pyrrha's shoulder as she passed. "You are a brave woman," she intoned. "And are performing a most noble duty. We appreciate your sacrifice."

Pyrrha's mouth quirked as she regally inclined her head. "I expect ballads shall be sung of my heroism this eve."

"Most undoubtedly," Blake commented, her amber eyes twinkling. "The things we do for those we love…"

Pyrrha's tired face broke out finally into the grin she'd been repressing. "That we do," she laughed softly.

"Pyrrha, is that you?" an irritable voice barked out from inside the room.

"Yes, sweetie," the redhead sighed with a humorous roll of her emerald eyes. "I brought you hot cocoa."

"Oh, thank you, Pyrrha," the voice suddenly sobbed. "You're so good to me…"

Pyrrha gave the other two girls a wink as she entered the room. "That's because you're my wonderful little Snowflake, sweetie…"

Ruby and Blake shared a giggle as they stomped down the steps, the Faunus unusually awkward in her ungainly footwear.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Ruby sighed with a smile.

"What, Weiss and Pyrrha?" Blake asked.

"Well, not exactly Weiss and Pyrrha, just… Weiss and someone who'd put up with her. No, wait, that sounded mean, I didn't mean it like that…" Ruby scrunched up her face thoughtfully, which made the Faunus smile affectionately and put her arm around the shorter girl. "More like… someone who'd complete her."

"Ruby Rose, you are such a romantic," Blake chuckled lightly.

"Toldya, keep it under wraps. I got a reputation to maintain."

"Oh, sure, big time fearless team leader, can't let it out you have a soft side."

"Exactly!" Ruby snickered. "Gotta keep my team in line, you know. I got them all scared of me."

"Oh, for certain," Blake smiled, playing along. "It's that fearsome cloak of yours."

"Really?" Ruby asked, holding it out like wings. "Makes me look bigger and fiercer, right?"

"That's right," Blake laughed, pulling her girlfriend in closer and kissing the crown of her head. "My fierce little hero."

Ruby sighed contentedly and wrapped her arm around Blake as well. "So long as I'm yours."

"Always," Blake murmured as they walked, heads resting against each other.

They sauntered over to the pad and boarded the next outbound airship. As they sat, their fingers entwined, they gazed out the windows at the town below them.

"It's so very pretty from up here," Blake said softly.

"I like it better from the ground," Ruby asserted. "All the lights and sound and smells. The shop displays… especially the bakeries…"

The Faunus barked out a laugh. "Oh, I see. So you just want me along to buy you sweets?"

Ruby turned to regard Blake with solemn eyes. "No, Blakey, not at all. I want you with me because you're my world, and I can't enjoy the season without you with me."

Blake sucked in a surprised breath, letting it out in a shudder as she blinked back the tears. "Every so often," she murmured brokenly, "you really do romance the heck out of me."

"I don't try, really," Ruby replied, reaching up to cup the raven-haired girl's cheek.

"I know," Blake whispered, leaning into the touch and closing her eyes. "And that's what makes it all the more wondrous."

She felt Ruby lean in and gently brush her soft lips up against her own, making her shudder again, but in pleasure this time.

"You're the wonderful one," Ruby whispered in her ear as she rested her cheek against Blake's. "I don't know why you put up with me sometimes, really. But I'm glad you do."

"I might say the same of me," Blake whispered back. "I suppose maybe we're just good for each other, hmm?"

"Oh, definitely," Ruby giggled, leaning in slightly to nip at Blake's ear, making her yelp slightly.

"Tease," Blake grinned as the redhead pulled back. Ruby just gave her a cheeky wink before turning back towards the window, though she leaned backwards and into the Faunus' embrace.

Blake used the rest of the airship ride to silently contemplate Ruby's growth just since they'd started dating. She was certainly more confident in herself and in her abilities, most of her social awkwardness buried now under her concern over Blake's well-being.

_Funny how having someone to care for, to care about, makes things clearer._

The Faunus had no illusions about her own history, with Adam and those who had been before him. Ruby, though… She was different, and in a wonderful way. When they were together, it was like she felt more complete, all the stress and tension from her past simply fading into insignificance. It didn't matter what she'd been or what she was. With Ruby, she wasn't a former White Fang, or a Faunus.

She was simply the girl that Ruby loved, and that was enough.

For her own part, Blake couldn't imagine her life without the energetic scythe-wielder anymore. She knew it was a long-term train of thought, one she'd never anticipated traveling down, but she could see herself growing old with this special girl.

Blake sighed softly. As usual, she was getting ahead of herself. For one, while she knew Ruby loved her, something like an everlasting commitment was likely the furthest from her mind. And also, they were training to take on the mantle of huntresses, a very dangerous job with not a terribly long life expectancy.

But, were she to be honest with herself, Blake could admit that she was possibly even a bigger romantic than Ruby was.

Physically, she was attracted to the small redhead like no other person she'd ever seen. The Faunus knew that was partially due to her existing feelings, but the bouncy redhead definitely made her heart skip a beat every so often, like when they would wake up in each other's arms, and Ruby would give her such a sleepy smile before snuggling in closer, even if just for a moment before they had to rise.

Blake knew that some day their relationship might take a more physical turn, but she also knew that it wasn't really all that important to either of them. What was important was the firm bond they'd formed, one based on wholehearted acceptance and love.

She was, without a doubt, the luckiest girl in all of Remnant, human or Faunus.

"Hey, Blake?"

"Hmm?"

"Um, we set down a few minutes ago. You ready to go?"

"Oh! Sorry Ruby," Blake said with an abashed smile. "Guess I got lost in thought."

The redhead tugged her to her feet, gazing up at her once she was toe to toe.

"Lien for your thoughts?" she asked, her silver eyes shining in the light from outside the cabin.

"Just how lucky I am," Blake replied honestly, smiling as she leaned down for a quick kiss.

"Pfft, luck?" Ruby scoffed as they walked down the ramp. "This is destiny."

Blake glanced at her girlfriend. "You believe in destiny?"

"Well, let's think about this," Ruby began solemnly. "For starters, the only reason I got into Beacon when I did was because I just happened to be in that dust store when I was to stop the robbery, getting Ozpin's attention so he'd let me in two years early. And then everything you went through to get there as well? And let's not forget how, after everything, the four of us ended up as a team through matching chess pieces and you partnered with my big sister. That's a really far stretch for luck. So, yeah, destiny."

Blake pulled to a halt, regarding the younger girl intently. "You are constantly surprising me, Little Gem," she said softly and with a bit of wonderment in her voice.

"Eh," Ruby shrugged with a grin. "Maybe you're just rubbing off on me."

"Hmm, are we perhaps rubbing off on each other?"

"Could be, I mean we're both more outgoing but in different ways now. And I catch you doing silly stuff, too."

Blake quirked her eyebrows. "Silly? Me?"

"Oh, yeah," Ruby snickered. "Don't think I missed the prank on Yang two weeks ago. Her bed didn't just magically short-sheet itself."

"You have no proof," Blake grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"I don't need it," Ruby grinned back.

"Well, she _was_ being snarkier than usual," Blake replied. "I just helped her loosen up some."

"Uh-huh," Ruby admonished, standing up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against her girlfriend's once more. "I love you, Blakey," she murmured.

"I love you too, Ruby," she murmured back. With one last press of their lips, Blake tucked the smaller girl under her arm. "C'mon, let's go see some decorations."

They headed further into Vale, their boots sloshing through the wet wintry mix that lined much of the sidewalks. Ruby's eyes shone with excitement at each window display they passed and each house decorated for the season.

Eventually, they pulled to a halt next to an unexpected sight.

"Well, that's different," Ruby murmured, her brow creased.

The house was a simple affair, with a small porch and only a single story. But the front lawn was filled with luminaries, leaving only a small path open leading up to the porch where a large portrait had been set up. It was of a beautiful woman, with long flowing blond hair and green eyes. Propped next to the portrait was another of an older couple, a man and a woman, with a single candle in front.

"Do you suppose they lost a daughter?" the small redhead asked curiously.

"No… look at the other portrait," Blake replied softly.

"Blakey, my eyes aren't as sharp as yours, and I don't wanna be rude and walk up there."

"Oh, sorry. I think the portrait is of the older woman when she was younger. I think he lost his wife."

Ruby nodded slowly. "That's so sad," she murmured. She gave a small sniffle, wiping a tear away.

Looking at her with a little concern, Blake wrapped her arm back around her girlfriend's shoulder and gently pulled her along. "Hey, let's go look at more lights, okay?"

"Okay, Blakey."

As they walked on, Ruby seemed lost in thought, often not even noticing some of the displays they passed. Eventually, Blake steered them into a small cafe and ordered the two of them hot cocoa. They sat together at a small table, blowing on their drinks while Blake observed her girlfriend closely.

"Hey," Ruby finally murmured, still staring at her cup. "Do you suppose they had kids?"

"Could be," Blake replied, taking a careful sip of her hot drink. "It was an awfully small house, but that doesn't mean much."

"Maybe they're grown up and moved out," Ruby continued quietly. "And now he's all alone."

The Faunus reached over to clasp Ruby's hand. "You're giving this a lot of thought," she commented.

"Well, I know what it's like to miss someone during the holidays," the redhead replied softly. "And it sucks."

"Oh, Ruby," Blake sighed, tears of her own forming. "I'm… I am so sorry, I didn't even consider…"

"No, it's okay, Blakey, really. I mean, yeah I still miss my mom, I do every day. But now?" Ruby gave her a brilliant smile. "I have you now, so everything's okay."

Blake sniffled, wiping away the few tears that escaped. "Yeah, you do have me," she whispered.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, holding hands and smiling at each other before they both took another sip from their drinks.

"Can I ask you something?" Ruby spoke up hesitantly.

"Sure, anything," Blake assured her.

"Um, what were your plans over the winter break?"

"Oh, I suppose we never really discussed it, did we… Well, I have nowhere to go, really, so I figured I'd just stay on campus. There are a few other students staying behind as well."

"Oh." Ruby glanced down at their clasped hands before giving hers a squeeze. "Do you… wanna come home with me? And Yang?"

Blake didn't even hesitate. "I'd love that, actually."

"Yay!" Ruby gave a little happy bounce in her seat, her good humor restored. "I'm still giving you your gift tonight, though."

"Well, fine, but then I'm giving you yours as well."

"Works for me. Ready to head back?"

"I suppose it's time to face the angry Ursa again, yes."

Ruby giggled as she got up. "Oh, she's not so bad, more of a… an Ursa cub, really."

"That's bad enough."

"Well, true… Oh, hang on one sec…"

Ruby walked up to the counter and picked up a bag of holiday cookies tied with a festive bow. She dug into her pockets for enough lien to pay for it and managed to cover the full amount.

Discarding their empty drink containers, they set back off the way they'd come, walking hand in hand. As they approached the house with the memorial again, Ruby gave her girlfriend's hand a squeeze before releasing it and walking up the illuminated pathway.

Blake watched with patient affection as Ruby left the cookies on the doorstep and then returned to her side. They continued their stroll wordlessly back towards the airship pad.

"Hey, Blakey," Ruby murmured, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "What, um… I mean, where do you see yourself, like, in the future? Like, I dunno, twenty years from now?"

The Faunus blinked her eyes, startled by the question. _Though I suppose I shouldn't be, this beautiful girl is far more complex and introspective than she lets on. And I'm lucky to be the one she feels comfortable revealing all of herself to._

She decided to be honest with her girlfriend again, as she owed her that much. "I was thinking much along those lines earlier," Blake sighed with a smile. "I can see myself being a huntress, fighting to protect civilization… and fighting alongside you. Actually…" She had to clear her throat, her own nervousness showing. "I can't imagine a future without you in it."

"Oh." Ruby nodded thoughtfully before giving her a cheerful grin. "Good. Me neither."

They made their way back to their dorm room, happily snuggling on the airship and holding hands otherwise. They paused outside of their room, listening intently.

"I don't hear any growling," Ruby whispered.

"Maybe the beast went to sleep," Blake whispered back.

"What are you two doing?" an imperious voice demanded from behind them.

Both of the girls turned with a startled squeak, tangled up in each other so that they fell back on their rear ends.

Weiss was standing above them, one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. She looked less disheveled but was still in her sleepwear.

"It lives!" Ruby said fearfully.

"Don't make any sudden moves," Blake murmured. "I understand they hunt by sensing motion."

Pyrrha, standing behind her girlfriend, snorted a laugh from behind her hand. Weiss just rolled her eyes, though her lips were quirked up at the edges.

"Very funny," she stated flatly. "Pyrrha was just relaxing me, but I need to get back to studying, so move. Please." She added the last bit as an afterthought, but it was far more genuine and effortless than it would have been before she'd begun dating the amazonian redhead from Team JNPR.

"Relaxing?" Ruby asked innocently as she awkwardly rolled to the side. "You could have stayed in the room for that."

"I didn't… We didn't… It wasn't like that!" Weiss declared hotly, her cheeks blushing furiously. "She just gave me a massage! And besides, Yang and Nora returned!"

"Okay, okay," Ruby laughed. "No need to get so defensive."

Weiss let out a small growl before stalking past them, opening the door, and walking into their room. Not even a full second later she was back again, her blush intensified, as she closed the door behind her.

"The room is not yet ready," she announced, arms crossed and staring up at the ceiling.

Blake and Ruby shared a giggle from the floor where they still sprawled. "Shoulda knocked first," the small redhead commented.

"We weren't gone that long," Weiss grumbled.

Pyrrha walked forward, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and tucking the platinum-haired girl under her chin. "We could always go back to my room," she murmured.

Weiss sighed and opened her mouth, likely to protest that she needed to get back to studying again, when the door across the hallway opened to reveal Jaune and Ren.

"Oh! Hey, guys!" Jaune said cheerfully. "We're gonna go into town, anybody want to come along?"

"No thanks!" Ruby replied with a smile. "Just got back from that!"

The two boys gave them friendly nods before heading out. Weiss and Pyrrha looked at each other intently before the smaller girl grabbed her redheaded girlfriend by the hand and dragged her, giggling, back into Team JNPR's room and slamming the door shut behind them.

"Are we sleeping in the hallway tonight?" Ruby complained.

Blake chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Doubtful. We'll just make ourselves scarce for an hour or so, she'll need to get back to studying soon enough."

The diminutive redhead laughed softly as she accepted help to her feet. "Well, maybe Weiss will be even more relaxed after this."

"One can hope."

Yang's voice hollered from behind the door, stating that it was safe to enter, and the couple slipped back into the room.

"Just so you know," Blake said, her eyes firmly fixed on the floor as she headed to fetch her gift. "Weiss and Pyrrha are occupied in the other room…"

"Which is otherwise unoccupied," Ruby added with a snicker as she crawled up on her bunk to retrieve her own present.

"...And we're going to be in the lounge for an hour." Blake stood up, her large rectangular gift tucked under her arm. "So no need to rush."

"Oh thank Oum," Nora giggled, her voice muffled from under the sheets. "'Cause I wasn't finished."

"Annnd that's enough details, thank you!" Ruby called out, her face blushing as she exited the room with her gift bag in hand.

Blake closed the door on Yang and Nora's shared laughter before catching up with her girlfriend.

"Does that still embarrass you?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, well, only because it's Yang," Ruby replied. "It's weird thinking of her doing, you know…"

"Then you can guess how difficult it would be for her to imagine you doing such activities."

"Well yeah, I totally get that. But it's not like I'm gonna try and stop them, or anything. I just don't like, well… Nora is so _open_ about everything, you know?"

Blake laughed softly. "I suppose it's only Yang's restraint that keeps her from sneaking something in when we're all sleeping in the same room."

Ruby gave a wordless shudder, causing Blake to laugh again as they entered the lounge. It was only partially filled, Coco and Fox occupying one large chair as they drank what would undoubtedly be coffee, and a few other second years that Blake didn't know by name.

The couple found a chair in the corner of the room, sharing a friendly nod with the two Team CVFY members as they passed.

"I want you to open your gift first!" Ruby said excitedly as she snuggled into Blake's lap.

"Alright," Blake smiled, accepting the gift bag thrust into her hands. Ruby clasped her fingers together, practically vibrating in place, as the Faunus removed the tissue paper and pulled out her gift.

It was a plush purple knit hat, incredibly soft and with a small black bow on the side.

"Oh, Ruby, it's lovely," Blake stated happily, rubbing the hat against her cheek. "And so soft!"

"That's not the best part!" Ruby whispered almost inaudibly. "It's made with extra room and material up top, especially for Faunus with ears on the top of their head!"

Blake wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, gathering her into a tight hug. "That is so incredibly thoughtful," she murmured. "I absolutely love it."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered, turning her head so that she could capture Blake's lips in a kiss. "So, can I open mine now?"

"Yes, you may," Blake smiled, handing the heavy present over.

"Oof! This feels like a textbook!" Ruby glanced suspiciously at her girlfriend. "It's not, is it?"

"Of course not!" Blake snickered. "Open it!"

Ruby tore into the wrapping paper to reveal a large book, certainly the size of one of their textbooks. However, this one was filled with five hundred cookie recipes.

"Oh. My. Oum." Ruby looked at the tome as if it were a weapons manual. "You are the absolute best, this… This is…" She dropped the book to her lap so that she might fling her arms around Blake's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she murmured brokenly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Little Gem," Blake smiled softly into Ruby's hair. "Happy Yuletide."

"Happy Yuletide, Blakey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, pure sappy fluff this time around. Next chapter, the last one, should go up tomorrow for Christmas Eve, though it will be a little more angsty.


	10. Yuletide Lemonade, Part 3

**Beacon Academy**   
**End of Finals Week**

Weiss Schnee was hiding.

She wouldn't come right out and admit to it, of course. The platinum-haired heiress merely assured everyone how busy she was after finals were over as she bade them farewell, what with everything she'd been putting off to study. Her training had suffered terribly, and there were books for the next semester that needed a jump on…

Hiding from a rather determined huntress-in-training, however, was in itself an exercise in futility.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Pyrrha asked quietly as she sat down next to her girlfriend in the upper-class dormitory common room.

"Not… exactly…" Weiss murmured in embarrassment. "I just, er… wanted to avoid awkward questions."

"Hmm," the redhead pondered with a knowing smile. "Like, perhaps, why you are not going home for the holidays?"

"Yes," Weiss replied testily. "Questions like that."

Pyrrha laid a single finger on the top of the book that her girlfriend had buried her nose in and gently brought it down so that she could see her face. Weiss blushed guiltily, her ice blue eyes darting around the room.

"Talk to me, Snow Angel," the redhead pleaded softly. "I want to understand."

"How can I make you understand?" Weiss whispered, squeezing her eyes shut against the memories that threatened to bombard her. "How can I possibly make you understand what it was like growing up, never good enough, never elegant enough, never… _perfect_ enough to please my parents. Especially my father." She sucked in a trembling breath. "I've spent these past wonderful, blessed months away from all of that, away from that… that… _prison_. I can't go back Pyrrha, I just can't."

Pyrrha scooted closer to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shaking girlfriend and pulling her in tight. "But why?" she murmured.

"Because I'll lose myself, this person I've become," Weiss replied, desperation lacing her words. "I can't survive that environment like I am, I'll have to turn back into the person I once was, and… and then I'll lose you." She tucked her head into Pyrrha's shoulder, her worries and fears that she'd been suppressing coming to the fore and leaking down her cheeks in despondent tears. "I can't lose you, Pyrrha…"

"You won't lose me, I swear it," Pyrrha reassured her quietly. "Not over something like this. I know you now, Weiss, better than I have anyone else in my life. That said…" She placed a gentle kiss on top of the platinum crown of hair. "I don't want you to be miserable, either. Can you stay here, then?"

"Well… I have permission to from the school, yes. I just haven't… well… I have not talked to my parents."

"Are they expecting you?"

"Perhaps? I don't know, really. They could be vacationing somewhere else this holiday, or even working elsewhere, I don't know."

"Well, then. I suppose we have one of two options to pursue. Either we don't tell them anything and see what the ramifications are, or we let them know you will be staying here."

Weiss opened her eyes finally, brushing her tears away. "We?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, _we_ ," Pyrrha smiled. "Are we not in this together?"

The heiress choked back a small sob. "I love you so much, my beautiful Amazon warrior," she whispered brokenly.

"And I love you, my little Snow Angel." Pyrrha traced the tear lines down her cheeks, gently smoothing the worry lines there. "Would you like my opinion?"

"Please."

"It is the harder path, but if you notify them ahead of time then they might be less upset with you if you were simply not to show up."

Weiss sighed. "You're right… I suppose I should. I just…"

"Don't be afraid," Pyrrha whispered. "I'm here with you, and I'll stay by your side no matter what."

Nodding slightly, Weiss pulled out her scroll. "Okay," she sighed, slowly tapping out a brief message. "Does… does this sound acceptable?"

"Well, you know your parents, are they the type to respond positively to something that simple without question?"

"Oh, I'm sure there will be questions. And yelling. There always is. But this will suffice."

That evening, Pyrrha tucked her emotionally overwrought girlfriend into her bed. Just about everyone else had left for the holidays, even Blake had gone home with Ruby and Yang. She herself was easily able to use the excuse of needing more training to stay as well.

The redhead sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown, gently stroking her lover's hair and willing her to relax. It didn't take long for the heiress to fall into an exhausted slumber, though a slight frown remained on her face.

"How long have you been letting this build up?" Pyrrha murmured quietly to herself.

A light out of the corner of her eye distracted her, and she glanced over to see Weiss' scroll lit up. She'd made sure that Weiss had put it on silent first so as to get a decent night's sleep. Picking it up, she saw the visage of a stern-looking white-haired man, labeled simply as _Father_ , as an incoming call.

"No, you don't," she murmured again, this time with steel lacing her voice. "You do not get to disturb my Snowflake tonight. She's mine."

Pyrrha smiled softly to herself at her possessiveness as she slid the phone under her discarded clothes. _I've never really had anyone to be possessive over. And now that I do… I feel the urge to protect her from everything. I know I cannot, and she has a powerful inner strength of her own… But in this case, perhaps, I can help shield her from harm._

She slid under the covers and gently gathered the heiress into her arms as she laid on her back. Weiss reflexively curled around her, and the frown on her face finally dissolved into a content smile as her platinum hair spread across Pyrrha's stomach.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, wearing a content smile of her own, and drifted off to sleep.

**Saturday Morning**

The next morning dawned bright and early as they'd forgotten to draw the blinds. The sky was cloudless for a change, though it was still cold enough out to allow the fallen snow to remain on the ground.

"Ugh," Pyrrha moaned, throwing an arm over her eyes. "What is that bright thing?"

"I believe it's called the sun, my love," Weiss giggled sleepily.

"Well, can you kill it for me?"

"No, but perhaps I can distract you." Weiss slid her body up on top of Pyrrha's so that they were face to face. Drawing the redhead's arm back, Weiss caressed her lips against her cheek, working her way down her collarbone.

"Mmmm," Pyrrha murmured appreciatively. "Now _this_ is a nice wakeup."

"Yeah, I could get used to this," Weiss smiled, trailing her tongue up the redhead's long, slender neck and causing her to shudder slightly. "Having the room to ourselves, that is."

"Perhaps I could as well," Pyrrha whispered, lacing her fingers behind her lover's neck and pulling her in for a lovingly languid kiss. "However," she continued once they broke apart, "I have to pee."

Weiss snorted as she rolled to the side. "Way to kill the mood there, Nikos."

"Would you rather I had an accident on your bed?"

"Ew! No!" Weiss gave her a helpful push out of the bed. "Now you sound like Yang!"

Pyrrha laughed as she got to her feet, padding towards the restroom to take care of her morning business.

When she returned, however, Weiss was no longer in the same mood she was before. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her scroll.

The redhead sat down next to her and slipped an arm around her waist. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked, though she was fairly certain she already knew the answer.

"He called seven times," the heiress murmured as a tremor ran through her body. "No messages. Oum, he must be furious…"

Pyrrha sighed and rested her head on Weiss' slender shoulder. "I suppose you should call him back, then."

"I suppose I should. Do you… want to leave?"

"Do you want me to?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, I do not," she replied in a small voice.

"Then I will stay by your side. Call him."

The platinum haired girl took a deep breath and nodded on the exhale, tapping the key on her scroll. She plastered a falsely polite smile on her face reflexively as she lifted it up to her cheek.

It must have been immediately picked up, as she gave a little jump. "Yes, hello father," she began. "I'm sorry I missed your…" She trailed off as the volume coming from the scroll increased.

Pyrrha couldn't hear the words, though she could sense the basic gist of the furious barrage. Weiss was wincing from the onslaught, but kept her composure and bore it as stoically as possible.

Watching the emotions flashing across her favorite sky-blue eyes, Pyrrha suddenly was overcome with a loathing for any man who could make his own daughter feel so immensely worthless.

"But-" Weiss tried to interject at one point, only to be overridden by the continuous yelling from her father.

Pyrrha's grip around her waist tightened as Weiss' composure began to break down. She was shaking like a leaf, tears trailing down her cheeks as she visibly wilted.

The very sight of it was making Pyrrha's heart break.

Finally, the tirade seemed to wind down, and Pyrrha clearly heard the final words. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The redhead kept her hands in contact with Weiss' body as she slid down to the floor so that she was kneeling in front of her, eye to eye. She smiled reassuringly at her, cupping her girlfriend's wet cheek and giving her a confident nod.

Weiss nodded back, a bit more shakily but with as much confidence as she could muster. She cleared her throat quietly.

"I am no longer a child, father, nor am I under your thumb," she began quietly, the steel behind her voice increasing with each word spoken. "If you wish to disown me, then do so and get it over with. I will become a huntress, and my own person, not yours. I will find my own way. Oh," she added with a faint smirk. "And I also have a girlfriend that I'm staying with for the holidays. Give mother my love."

With that, she pulled the scroll away from her cheek and ended the call before her shocked father could issue a retort.

Both of the girls stared at the object as if it were a foreign thing.

"I did it," Weiss whispered incredulously. "I… I actually did it…"

"You most certainly did," Pyrrha smiled, brushing the tears away from her girlfriend's cheeks. "I am so proud of you, Weiss… How do you feel?"

"Like I am about to be sick."

"Well, I can certainly understand-"

"No, really, I'm about to be sick. Excuse me."

Pyrrha humorously noted to herself that perhaps a new milestone in their relationship was reached that day, as she held her girlfriend's white tresses back while she was bent over a toilet.

"Do you believe there will be repercussions?" Pyrrha asked over breakfast once they had showered and dressed for the day. The cafeteria was still open, though the food selections limited and of much smaller portions.

"I do not know," Weiss said slowly, stirring her oatmeal with her spoon. "I have never defied him like this, not really. I called him out on his ultimatum. Will he actually follow through with it?" She shook her head bemusedly. "I simply do not know."

"Well, I know one thing," Pyrrha smiled, running a finger along Weiss' forearm. "I meant what I said earlier, I am so proud of you for what you did. That took far more courage than I think I would ever be capable of."

"What?" Weiss scoffed. "Please, you are far more courageous than I…"

"No, I mean what I say, my heart. I… My family and I do not get along very well, which is why it was easy for me to stay here. If they were the type to actively prohibit me from doing so? I don't know if I could have been as brave as you."

"Even if it meant staying with me?" Weiss asked with a knowing smile.

Pyrrha sighed and smiled back. "Yes, you do know me well. I would move all of Remnant to stay by your side."

"And a pack of Beowolves couldn't tear me from yours," Weiss replied softly, leaning over the table to give her a sweet kiss. "Now, let's finish up breakfast, I want to take a walk with you."

The grounds of the academy were quiet as they strolled arm in arm. The normal bustle of daily activity was missing, even the faint noise from the track was absent as there was nobody out running.

"It's like a dream," Pyrrha murmured. "Being here when it's practically just the two of us, for all intents and purposes. No school to worry about or training to do…"

"Mmhmm," Weiss chuckled. "You're getting antsy already, aren't you?"

"Well…" Pyrrha grinned. "Perhaps we could spar a little later on today?"

"I think I can work that into my schedule."

"I would be most obliged. I know what a busy woman you are."

"Oh, I am. I have a girlfriend, you see, who deserves all my attention, and I am most eager to lavish it upon her."

"Really, lavish?" Pyrrha snickered. "I like the sound of that. Shall we retire to our room?"

"Yes, let's," Weiss replied with a sultry smile. It quickly dissolved, though, as her scroll began to vibrate. "And this time it will be me to kill the mood," she sighed, pulling it out.

Pyrrha glanced at it and then back to her girlfriend. "Is that… your sister?"

Weiss nodded wordlessly as she placed the scroll to her cheek. "Hello, Winter, how are you?"

She listened for a few seconds, nodding while staring off across the grounds. "I see… when? Very well… yes, goodbye."

As she closed her scroll she grabbed Pyrrha by the hand and began to drag her off towards the dorms.

"Weiss, what is it?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"Father," she gritted out, "has sent Winter to check up on me."

"Oh… I thought you two got along?"

"Well enough. I also thought she was no longer under his thumb either, since she is a member of the Atlas military. But she is coming nonetheless."

"When?"

Instead of continuing towards the dorms, Weiss steered them the other way towards the airship landing pads. Pyrrha's heart sank as she realized the implications.

"She's… coming now, isn't she?" Pyrrha murmured.

Weiss nodded. The sound of an approaching airship was now audible as she pulled the pair of them to a halt.

"Okay," Weiss breathed. "I am no longer the same girl she met last. I am confident, I am composed…"

"And you have me," Pyrrha added, grasping her right hand firmly in her left and bringing it up to her lips.

"And I have you," Weiss agreed softly. "And so everything else pales in comparison."

"You are so sweet," Pyrrha giggled, giving her hand a squeeze before facing forward.

The airship touched down to disgorge a woman of military bearing and obviously closely related to the girl at Pyrrha's side. Winter Schnee wore her platinum hair in a bun on the top of her head, while the long bangs in front partially covered her right eye. Her clothing style resembled Weiss' as well, at least so far as the color scheme went, though it had more of a martial style to it.

Winter marched forward, stopping within a few feet to peer down at her shorter and younger sister.

"Hello, Winter," Weiss greeted her politely. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I believe you know damn well what you owe the pleasure to," Winter murmured, a slight smile quirking one side of her mouth. She turned to examine Pyrrha from head to toe. "Am I to assume this is the girlfriend father was so paroxystic about?"

Pyrrha nodded politely, reaching forward with her free right hand to shake Winter's. "Pyrrha Nikos. It is a pleasure to meet Weiss' sister. I have heard much about you."

"Pyrrha Nikos," the older woman repeated. "Well, Miss Nikos, I have certainly heard much about you as well. Though not from my sister," she added with a reproving glance at her younger sibling.

She turned slightly then and nodded towards the pair of soldiers that had accompanied her. "Remain with the ship," she ordered curtly. "I will return momentarily." With that, she clasped her hands behind her back and began to stroll across the grounds. "Will you accompany me?" she asked.

Weiss and Pyrrha shared a look, tinged with a bit of nervousness, and hurried to her side.

They walked along in silence for a full minute before Winter spoke again. "It is lovely here," she murmured. "The whole place changes with the snowfall, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Weiss agreed calmly.

"So," Winter sighed. "Let me see if I can adequately summarize the situation without father's rhetoric. You, Weiss, have finally decided to cut ties with him and make a name for yourself as a huntress and not a Schnee. You do not wish to return home for the holidays, and instead wish to remain here with your girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos. Is this correct?"

"Yes, that is the essence of it."

"Good."

Weiss blinked her eyes uncertainly. "Er… Good?"

"Yes, good. Weiss, last we talked I told you to make a choice. Now that you have, I will fully support you."

"You… you will?"

"I can tell the difference in you just from that last meeting. You are more confident, more sure of yourself. As if you were finally content on the path you were on." Winter glanced over at the couple. "Though, perhaps, some of that contentment can be attributed elsewhere."

"It can, yes," Weiss smiled up at Pyrrha softly. "I am truly happy, and for the first time… I feel as if I know who I really am."

Pyrrha smiled back. "You were always that person, Weiss. You're just more comfortable being her now."

They gazed lovingly at each other for a few seconds before Winter gave a little chuckle, breaking the reverie. "Well, I can certainly see why the two of you are together," she smiled.

Their meanderings by this point had taken them back towards the airship.

"So, you have to leave already, so soon? Again?" Weiss asked quietly.

"I'm afraid I have to, yes," Winter sighed. "Father pulled me off of an important assignment with his clout, but I must get back to it soon."

"Oh." Weiss glanced over at her lover. "I… I wanted you to get to know Pyrrha, though."

"Weiss…" The older woman smiled softly. "I can see all I need to. I'm very happy for the both of you, and I do look forward to getting to know you, Pyrrha. But I expect we will have quite some time in order to catch up with one another, do we not?"

Pyrrha nodded confidently. "I am not going anywhere," she stated.

"Good," Winter replied with a nod. "You take care of my little sister, then. And as for you…"

Weiss let go of Pyrrha's hand finally so that she might give her sister a warm hug. "It was nice to see you again, Winter."

"And you as well, sister of mine," Winter replied, returning the hug. "Do not concern yourself with father, I will handle him. I expect you are prepared to do this on your own financially?"

"I am," Weiss assured her. "I'll find a way."

"Very well," Winter replied as she stepped back. "I do not think it will come to that, but your assurance of such will help."

The older woman turned as began to walk back to her airship. "Be well, Weiss," she said over her shoulder.

"And you as well, Winter," the platinum-haired girl replied.

The couple stood on the platform and watched the airship as it left, even as it dwindled to a pinprick in the sky.

"So… what just happened?" Pyrrha asked softly.

Weiss turned to her lover with a smile. "Winter is on my side. And I'm free of father's influence. Also," she grinned, running a finger up Pyrrha's arm. "I believe we had a date planned for our bedroom."

"Oh, we did?" Pyrrha grinned back, allowing the smaller girl to tug her forward. "Well, then, how can I refuse my little Snow Angel anything?"

Weiss gave Pyrrha's hand one hard pull to bring her in close. "I love you, Pyrrha," she said earnestly, her sky-blue eyes filled with the warmth she only gifted to her girlfriend. "And I want to show you just how much I love you. I want to worship you."

"Well," Pyrrha replied somewhat dazedly. "Um, that's… that sounds quite lovely."

"Oh," Weiss breathed as she leaned in for a kiss. "It will be."

Giggling, the couple raced off across the grounds towards the dormitory, their excitement for each other lending them speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! So, as I mentioned before, a little more angsty. There have been many depictions done concerning Weiss and Winter's parents in numerous fanfics, but we finally got to see what Winter herself is like in Season 3. It's obvious to me that her big sister really does care for her, and might also have been a bit of a buffer in the past between Weiss and her father. Ultimately, though, I believe Weiss suffered emotional abuse in her home, which is just as damaging as physical abuse, and as such is what I was trying to portray here.
> 
> It's kinda funny how different each couple has turned out to be. It might be argued that Weiss and Pyrrha moved pretty fast with their relationship considering who they are, but I think it is exactly who they are, and their compatibility with each other, that helped them bond so quickly.
> 
> So, this should, by all rights, end this little holiday tale. I might just have a bonus chapter to tack onto the end, though… we shall see…


	11. Yuletide Lemonade, Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter!

Velvet sighed as she sat her cup of coffee down. "I wish I had your confidence."

"Confidence can be learned or faked," Coco replied evenly. "But it starts within you, kid. You gotta be confident in yourself first, and we've been working on that this year, right?"

The bunny Faunus nodded slowly as she reached for the sugar. She had a major sweet tooth, and Coco couldn't help but wince as she watched her add another cube to her already over-sweetened drink. She preferred her java black as night, personally, though each member of her team had their individual preferences.

The brunette smiled to herself as she remembered how none of the others of her team had touched the stuff before they formed last year. Now it was a bond they shared, among many, even though their individual preferences reflected their distinctiveness.

"I _have_ been trying, really," Velvet finally said in her soft voice. "And I appreciate your efforts, honestly I do."

"But it's not enough to talk to him?"

"No… not yet."

"I told you he'd be receptive."

"But that's not quite enough, I'm afraid." Velvet finished up her coffee and rose from the table at the small outdoor cafe they were visiting in Vale. "I'll get there, I will…"

"I know you will, Velvet," the Team CVFY leader replied warmly. "And you ever wanna talk about it again, you know I'll be there for you."

Velvet wrinkled her nose as she smiled. "I know." She glanced down at the table. "You going to open that?"

Tapping a manicured nail on the thick envelope, Coco gave a knowing smirk. "Eventually."

Her teammate rolled her eyes and giggled as she headed out. "You are so bad…"

"Keeps things lively," Coco snickered.

She watched the bunny Faunus as she made her way towards the airship landing pad to take her back up towards Beacon. They'd picked this spot primarily because of the close proximity to the pad so that Coco might observe her and make sure she made it safely.

Velvet was a highly capable huntress-in-training, especially when wielding dust in combination with her innate semblance. But she was still a Faunus in a very Faunus-unfriendly world, and Coco cared for all of her teammates like a mother Ursa.

Once certain she was safely on board the waiting airship, Coco returned her attention to her now lukewarm cup. She signaled the waitress for a refill, who promptly brought a pot over to top her off with more of the dark elixir.

There were other cafes with better brew, but this one, at least, had wonderful service.

As she sipped from her cup, Coco reflected on the year they'd had so far. It had been an exciting one, no doubt, though filled with its ups and downs. She winced at the memory of their defeat in the Vytal Festival games but brushed it aside. Arena fighting just wasn't her thing, and she could admit she'd made a mistake putting herself and Yatsuhashi in the doubles. Her partner could handle himself just fine, but she was more of a heavy hitter.

Grimm fell before her by the dozens, but she simply didn't have the agility to be an asset in the sort of fight she'd found herself in.

Coco sighed to herself. Hopefully, in two years Velvet would finally come into her own enough to participate in the next games. The girl would be a terror on any battlefield, be it Grimm or arena, if only she would accept what she could do and trust in her own abilities and instincts as much as Coco did.

Partnering up with Yatsuhashi in her first year gave the Faunus stability and a pool of calm to draw from, but it was the presence of Fox on their team that had done wonders for the timid girl. The blind boy with hair like burning embers was nothing but confidence, a trait Coco found admirable. He'd managed on his own for some time now, using his semblance to become hyper-aware of threats while fighting.

With a soft smile, Coco brought herself out of her reverie and slid the white envelope towards her. She deftly slit open the side, allowing a hotel room key to drop to the table, along with a small scrap of paper. Her smile grew into an anticipatory grin as she read the paper, noting the hotel name and room number before tucking it and the key into her cashmere overcoat pocket.

She included a generous tip with the lien she left on the table as the brunette stood and adjusted her ever-present sunglasses. With her usual confident swagger, she strode off down the street towards her destination.

Passing a florist, she paused and smirked as an idea struck her.

Ten minutes later she was on her way again, a bundle of a half-dozen fragrant red roses cradled in her left arm.

As she walked, she reflected on the fact that none of her team had finals tomorrow, the last day of the semester. They had one more day together before they went their separate ways for the holiday break.

Coco smiled to herself as she thought of her home, a place she rarely seemed to have the time to visit. She'd get to see her cousins this time, and her older brother Joe should be there with his family as well. Her nieces should be four this year, likely injecting the Yuletide with an abundance of enthusiasm.

She'd miss her teammates, though. It was tough not to, as close as they'd become over the past year and a half.

Eventually, she reached the hotel and unhesitatingly strode inside, through the ornate lobby and up the elevator to the third floor. Once there she entered room 313 with her key, closing the door behind her gently.

"Honey, I'm home," she snarked, shrugging off her coat and tossing it onto the chair located nearby.

"Took you long enough," Fox smirked from where he sprawled in the luxurious bed.

Coco had to pause as she took in the lean, toned body of her dark-skinned lover. Her partner, in more ways than one, was looking good enough for her to take a bite out of. Fox was reclining casually against the pillows piled up at the head of the bed, naked, with only a light sheet covering him up to the waist.

"Oh, my," Coco purred as she slinked forward, dropping the roses onto the small table on the side of the room. "Is all this for me?"

"I'd have giftwrapped it, but I know how impatient you get," Fox laughed as he slid to the edge of the bed, letting the sheets fall from him. "Now come here so that I might undress you."

Coco stood obediently still, allowing his slightly calloused but nimble fingers to dance over her body, removing her sunglasses and beret while deftly undoing her various fasteners.

She'd learned early on that her blind boyfriend took great pleasure in using his sensitive fingers to map out her body, and it gave her delicious shudders when he did so. For her part, she was highly appreciative of the sight of his muscular physique. He was the only person she'd ever been with who caused her to, quite literally, feel the need to restrain herself from drooling.

"You brought me roses," Fox murmured as he ran his fingers lightly along the outside her now-bare legs.

"I know how you like the scent," Coco replied breathlessly, running her own fingers through her lover's orange hair.

"Almost as much as I enjoy the scent of you," he returned before planting a kiss on her abdomen just below her belly button.

Coco gasped lightly. "Flatterer," she moaned as he trailed kissed up her torso.

"I would never lie to you," Fox murmured against her lips as he rose to his full height.

Instead of replying, Coco just pressed her body tightly into his, devouring him in a passionate kiss.

They stood like that for some time, their naked figures swaying slightly before they separated with a shared sigh of contentment.

"We only have tonight," Coco reminded him gently.

"And I don't anticipate getting any sleep," Fox grinned.

"Damn right you won't," she smirked, giving him a push so that he would fall backwards onto the bed. His hands snaked out to pull her down with him, and she landed on top of his torso with an uncharacteristic giggle.

Fox's face became serious as his sightless eyes seemed to bore up into her. "I love you, Coco."

"And I love you, Foxy. Happy Yuletide."

"Happy Yuletide, love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay bonus chapter! Even if it is a short one. See, I can do more than just yuri! I wasn't as into Team CVFY at first, but they've grown on me. I might just have to start doing more with them at some point.
> 
> So, that ties this little story up. To those that celebrate it, Merry Christmas, and for everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season this Yuletide. See you after!


	12. Eros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Velvet's interest in a member of Team JNPR causes problems for Ren, as well as the rest of the couples as they try to help.

**Beacon Academy**  
**Friday Evening**

Velvet Scarlatina was pacing her room, her head bowed and brow furrowed. The other occupant in the room, her team leader Coco Adel, amusedly watched how the bunny Faunus' floppy ears would sway each time she would change course.

"I can do this," Velvet stated to herself, the confident words slightly undermined by the tremor in her voice.

"You can do this," Coco agreed calmly.

"And it's not like I've never talked to him before."

"True enough," Coco smirked.

Velvet let out a despondent sigh and flopped onto her bed. "I can't do this," she moaned.

"Yes, you can. What's the worse that could happen, really?"

The Faunus lifted her head enough to stare at her best friend incredulously. "Um, permanent ostracization? Ridicule? Violence? Shall I go on?"

"Now you're just being dramatic. There is zero chance of violence. Same for ridicule or whatever that other word was you said."

"Ostracization."

"Bless you." Coco leaned over and gave her an encouraging smile while slipping her sunglasses off to let her friend see the sincerity in her eyes. "You. Can. Do. This."

Velvet laid her head back again, nodding slowly as she stared at the ceiling. "All right, then. Tomorrow morning."

"You want Fox and me to back you up?"

"No, no… I'll be fine. Really."

Coco shook her head affectionately. "Okay then, but don't be afraid to call for reinforcements."

**Saturday Morning**

Lie Ren knew he had several understated talents. He certainly wasn't egotistical about them, but the soft-spoken boy understood what he was good at. Stand-up brawls, not so much, but anything that put his agility to the test, well… That was when he really shined.

One of his lesser-known attributes, lesser meaning aside from Nora who knew him better than a sibling might, was his patience. Certainly, some might attach that label to him after seeing him interact with the orange-haired hellion, but in fact he learned such patience from the hunt. Stalking his prey, waiting for the proper time and location to make his strike unseen from the shadows.

Perhaps his biggest flaw in that regard was a tendency to wait too long, sometimes to the last possible second.

And that flaw was coming back to bite him squarely on the posterior this morning.

It started out routinely enough, with the combined teams of RWBY and JNPR sharing the breakfast table per usual nowadays. Nora was wolfing down her pancakes next to her girlfriend Yang, who in turn was sleepily sipping from her coffee and not paying attention to the pancakes that Nora was pilfering from her plate. Though, knowing Yang, she was fully aware of it and let the pinkette go on thinking she was being sneaky in her efforts.

Across from them were Weiss and Pyrrha, leaning close enough to each other that their long platinum and red hairs were intermixed like a kaleidoscope. Ren would never have imagined the two of them getting together, much less be so good for each other, but he had to admit over the past few months he'd seen a change for the better in the both of them. He supposed they had much more in common than he'd previously assumed, and it seemed to work well for the couple.

Ruby must have had a late night of it, as her head was down on the table next to her breakfast tray, cradled in the crook of one arm. Soft snores were issuing from behind the curtain of unkempt dark red hair and a small pool of drool was beginning to form on the table surface, while Blake sat next to her, reading from a book held in one hand while the other gently stroked her girlfriend's back.

Ren, of course, was sitting in his usual spot across from Jaune.

"So, maybe we should hit Vale later today. I heard the armorer has some new stuff in, I'd like to see if maybe I could do some upgrades on this old set." Jaune blew across the top of his coffee as he waited for Ren's reply.

 _So long as we get to do it together, it doesn't matter to me where we go._ "That sounds acceptable," he said instead, his voice casual.

"Oh, hey Velvet!" Nora piped up cheerfully. "How's it going?"

"Hello Nora, everyone." The bunny Faunus was standing by their table somewhat nervously, her hands behind her back and shifting from foot to foot. "Um, I'm well, thanks. I was wondering, though…"

The others looked at her expectantly, even Ruby who had woken up and was glancing around fuzzily. "Oh, hi Velvet!" the diminutive girl spoke up belatedly.

"Hello, Ruby," Velvet said with a smile. She seemed to gather up her courage and directed her next question at one particular individual.

"Jaune, do you have a moment to, er, walk with me?"

"Me?" the blonde asked stupidly. He shook his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, that was a dumb reaction… Yeah, sure Velvet, let me just dump my tray…"

The pair of them walked off together towards the bins, Velvet alongside and clenching her hands behind her tightly. At the table, the remaining team members looked at each other bemusedly.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Ruby asked curiously, wiping the drool from her cheek with her sleeve.

"I'd say she's going to ask him out," Weiss stated casually.

Six sets of eyes swiveled to pin her with incredulous gazes.

"How d'you figure?" Yang asked.

"Look at Team CVFY. They're staring after the two like they're going to snap his legs off if he makes a wrong move or break her heart for that matter. They're a very protective team."

"Well, listen to you, so conversant in matters of love," Pyrrha teased her gently, running her hands through her girlfriend's platinum tresses.

Weiss blushed lightly, but her eyes lidded as she leaned into the touch. "Why do you always touch me like that after you tease me?" she murmured.

"So you won't get angry with me for teasing you."

"Well, it's working. Carry on."

"Yes, my little Snowflake."

"Ugh, you two," Yang snickered, shaking her head.

Nora, however, was looking at Ren worriedly.

"You okay?" she whispered.

Ren nodded his head calmly. "It's fine, Nora. I'm just going up to the room, see you all there."

She still stared after him, her turquoise eyes shining as he dumped his tray and exited the dining hall.

"Okay," Ruby interjected. "Now that was _that_ all about?"

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Nora murmured, her eyebrows furrowed.

Five heads of various colors immediately leaned in conspiratorially.

Nora sighed in a most un-Nora-like fashion. "Ren's had a crush on Jaune for awhile. I think he waited too long to tell him about it."

"Oh, my," Pyrrha breathed.

"Well, that sucks," Yang stated. "So what can we do?"

"Maybe we should bring him with us tonight?" Blake asked hesitantly, referring to the planned movie excursion of the three couples.

"No, he'd just feel left out," Nora sighed. "And worse, since it's a RomCom we're going to, he'd be all depressed, but wouldn't tell anyone about it, and then it'd just get worse when he realized he was depressed but not telling anyone about it, and then go on a murderous rampage through the school."

There was dead silence as the other five girls stared at her.

"Okay," Nora admitted, "maybe a little exaggerated at the last bit there…"

"She's not completely wrong, though," Pyrrha broke in. "He would be upset going with us and not want to show it. He's a very… reserved person."

Yang snorted humorously. "Reserved? He could teach a rock to be laconic."

Nora smacked her upside the back of her head, causing her blonde mane of hair to flip over her face. "You be nice!" she scolded.

"Hey, don't get me wrong!" the blonde bruiser protested through the curtain of hair. "I like the guy a lot, even more so since he's so close to you! And I get along with him… well, on the few times he's actually spoken to me… but it's important to me to stay on his good side. So really, I do like him."

Nora peered at her girlfriend, pulling the messy blonde strands aside to uncover a pair of earnest violet eyes. "Why is that so important to you?" she asked curiously.

Yang shrugged. "He's like your brother, right? So, maybe some day he'll be family to me as well."

The orange-haired girl's turquoise eyes widened before she flung herself at her girlfriend. Yang let out a startled squawk as the two of them tumbled to the floor, which was cut off by the virtue of Nora's lips fastened on her own.

"Whelp, there they go," Ruby snarked.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "While the two of them make out on the dirty cafeteria floor, why don't we resume our discussion. What can we do for Ren?"

Pyrrha glanced at her girlfriend curiously. "And why do _you_ care so much? I mean, you're not friends with him, are you?"

"Well, no, but he's your teammate and your friend." Weiss looked at her nails, feigning casualness, but the slight blush gave her away.

"And your feelings go along the same lines as Yang's," Blake commented perceptively.

"I said no such thing. Implied, yes, said, no." Weiss glanced at the redheaded girl next to her. "Do not think of tackling me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Snow Angel," Pyrrha purred as she leaned in and gave Weiss' earlobe a gentle nibble. "I'll show you my appreciation later, in private."

Both Ruby and Blake erupted in laughter at the bright crimson hue to their teammate's face.

"Hormones," Blake chuckled.

"Ain't they grand?" Ruby snarked.

"Works for me!" the giggling voice of Nora chimed in from under the table.

"Will you two please get back up here!" Weiss hissed, trying to cover up her discomfort.

The pair of laughing girls eventually did crawl back up onto their seats, the two of them flushed and with their clothing in disarray.

"So, what shall we do?" Pyrrha asked, still smiling widely as she clasped hands with her girlfriend.

"Well…" Ruby began, glancing at the Faunus next to her. "What if we…"

"Do you think so?" Blake asked softly.

"It wouldn't hurt."

"But we don't really know enough..."

"That's why we have…"

"True, but…"

"No, it'll work, I'm sure of it. Worth a shot, anyway."

"Alright then, you know you have my support."

The pair of them looked at the other two couples expectantly.

"Um, someone wanna translate all that from Ruby-Blake into plain-speak?" Yang asked hesitantly.

"Oh! Sorry," Ruby blushed lightly. "We think we should try and set Ren up with someone."

Blake nodded. "We don't really know his preferences, other than, I'm assuming, guys. But Nora and Pyrrha could fill us in."

"Now _that_ ," Nora stated, her eyes gleaming, "is an _excellent_ idea!"

"Ewww, Yang, you have food stuck in your hair!" Ruby complained. "No, don't you dare… Yang, I mean it, don't you dare fling that at me! _Yang_!"

**Saturday Afternoon**

"Sooo, Ren!" Nora chirped as she flopped onto her bed. "Can I ask you a question? Totally, like, off-the-wall and such."

Ren blinked his eyes uncertainly and put the book he was reading down next to him on his mattress. "Go ahead," he replied curiously.

"What's important to you in a guy? I mean, one that you like." Nora scrunched up her face in thought. "Like, like-like. That was only two real 'likes', right there."

"Are you asking me what I find attractive in someone?"

"Yes, exactly! Only you said it much better than I did."

"I suppose…" Ren hummed thoughtfully. "I like the eyes."

"Eyes?"

"That's correct."

"So you find a guy's eyes their most attractive feature."

"Among other things, yes."

"Oookayyy," Nora drawled. "So what other things, then?"

Ren gazed at his best friend, his magenta eyes probing. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, you know…" Nora chuckled. "No reason. Just curious, really."

He shook his head bemusedly, his dark hair swaying. Ren knew he would never be able to deny any request from the orange-haired girl who he'd grown up with, but he had a sneaking suspicion where this conversation was going.

"All right, then… I very much like someone who is taller than me."

"Oooh, so you like someone who can take charge of you, huh?"

"Nora," Ren admonished flatly.

She snickered unabashedly. "Oh, I'm just teasing. You know I tease, right? So, tall and nice eyes. That's not a lot to go off of."

"You wouldn't be assembling a profile or anything of the sort, would you?" Ren asked calmly. "Say, to set me up on a date?"

"Whaaat?" she protested loudly. "Whatever would give you such an absurd idea?"

"Absurd?"

"Completely absurd. Groundless, really."

"I see. So there wouldn't be any chance of, oh, perhaps Yang walking in here to casually ask more of such questions?"

"Nooo," Nora chuckled uncomfortably. "See, now you're just being paranoid…"

Just then Yang pushed the door open and strolled through casually. "Hey, so I heard these two guys… talking… and…" She trailed off, her brow furrowed as she examined her girlfriend. Ren could see out of the corner of his eye that Nora was frantically waving her off, mouthing "Abort! Abort!"

He sighed good-naturedly. "I appreciate the thought. But I'm fine, truly."

Nora and Yang shared a glance as he picked up his book again. "Okay then, Ren," Nora said softly as she walked out of the room, holding hands with the blonde.

Out in the corridor, the other two couples were waiting anxiously.

"So? What have we got?" Weiss prompted.

Nora sighed. "We got busted," she moaned. "My stealthy conversational skills have completely failed me. Failed, I tell you!"

"So he picked up on the grilling," Ruby summarized.

"Yep. And he finished with his usual, 'I'm fine' spiel. Ugh!" Nora threw her hands up in disgust. "He can be such a _guy_ sometimes!"

"Do we not have anything?" Blake asked skeptically. "You didn't get any facts at all out of him?"

"Well, I know he likes eyes, and guys who are taller than him. That's it."

"It's a start," Pyrrha said slowly.

Blake nodded. "And it does narrow it down some. Did he mention eye color, or just eyes?"

The pinkette tapped her chin thoughtfully. "No, no color. He just said, 'the eyes,' that was his favorite."

"So if it's a favorite, he would have mentioned color," Blake deduced. "Since he didn't mention color, we can safely assume it's more than that."

"Oooh, look at you, getting all investigative-mode on us," Ruby snickered. " _Rawr_."

"Ruby," her blonde sister protested while pinching the bridge of her nose. "Don't ever do that again while I'm around."

"But-"

"No. Just... no."

"Oh, fine," Ruby pouted. It soon evaporated from her face when Blake gave her a wink and a smile.

"Anyway," Weiss interjected, getting them back on track. "What else would be attractive other than color? I'm not much of an 'eyes' person, myself… Oh, except for yours, sweetie, I could stare into those beautiful green orbs all day…"

"You are so charming," Pyrrha murmured. "I like how yours change in the sunlight."

"They do?"

"Mmhmm, they sparkle like jewels."

"Oh," Weiss breathed.

"People! Can we focus here, please?" Nora exclaimed.

"You know it's gone sideways when Nora's the one to keep a conversation on track," Blake whispered loudly.

"I know, right?" Ruby giggled.

The orange-haired girl stomped her foot irritably. "Eyes! We're talking about eyes here! What is it he would like if not the color?"

Any reply that would have been made was cut off as the door to Team JNPR's room opened to reveal a stony-faced Ren. "It's not the color so much as the peaceful warmth," he explained. "Tranquility and strength. It's a Zen thing. Now, please, can you move this conversation into the other room so that I might finish my book?"

With that, he closed the door again.

The six girls looked at each other consideringly. "You know," Weiss began. "I think that's the most words I've ever heard him string together at once."

**Saturday Evening**

The two teams gathered again before they headed down for dinner, save for Jaune who was going out with Velvet on their first date. The three established couples took a break from their, so far unsuccessful, matchmaking efforts earlier to help the beleaguered boy get ready.

"Make sure you compliment her shoes," Weiss instructed.

"And if her purse matches her shoes, compliment that as well," Yang added.

"Oh!" Ruby bounced up and down eagerly. "And her hair! That's always a nice thing to compliment on, or of, or… Where was I going with that?"

Blake pulled the excitable girl down onto her lap where she perched on the edge of Pyrrha's bed. "It's okay, Little Gem, I think he got the gist of it," she murmured with a soft smile.

"Guys, come on!" Jaune protested. "How am I going to remember all of this?"

"Well, why aren't you taking notes?" Weiss replied archly.

Pyrrha chuckled warmly. "Jaune, you'll do fine, just be yourself."

"Oh, sure, like that worked so well the last time," he scoffed. "Um, okay so I just realized how really awkward that just made things…"

Weiss waved him off cheerfully. "Don't worry about it. I'm just as glad that you botched the whole thing, really. Much happier now."

"Dear," her redheaded girlfriend interjected gently. "We're trying to build his confidence up."

"Oh! Right!" The heiress cleared her throat regally. "You'll do fine, Jaune."

The blonde team leader sighed. He straightened his slumped shoulders up and turned to regard his other male teammate who sat on his own bed. "So, what do you think, Ren?"

The raven-haired boy regarded him calmly with his magenta eyes, taking in his slacks and polo shirt. "She can't help but be taken with you, Jaune," he stated.

"Thanks, buddy," Jaune replied breezily. "Okay, then, I'm off!"

The six girls regarded Ren sadly as they headed down to the cafeteria.

"Will you all please stop staring at me?" Ren asked quietly.

"Sorry, Ren," Ruby replied contritely. "We just care about you, you know?"

He smiled at the other team leader gently. "I appreciate your friendship. But really, I am fine."

They sat around the dinner table, freely exchanging their usual jibes and laughter, the three couple's enthusiasm for their approaching movie date obvious.

"Too bad we're not seeing a horror flick," Yang grinned. "Nora always jumps and hides in my lap when we watch those."

"I so do not!" Nora protested loudly. "I merely try to comfort you, Blondie, as I know you get easily scared."

"Oh, I do?"

"Absolutely. It's a well-known fact. Established, you might say."

"Pfft, you're delusional, Valkyrie."

Ruby shook her head amusedly. "Those aren't my kinda thing, anyways. Blake's either, from her reaction the last time."

"I was startled, was all," the Faunus interjected loftily.

"Blakey, you went from a sitting position on the floor up to my bed in a single leap."

"As I said. Startled."

"I prefer romantic comedies anyway," Pyrrha reassured them. "They are much more to my liking."

"Mine as well," Weiss stated with a smile.

Ruby leaned her head on Blake's shoulder with a reminiscent smile. "That was our first date," she stated softly. "Before we even knew we were dating."

Blake blushed lightly. "How could I forget?" she murmured.

Ren watched the three couples interact with amusement. Each one had a different dynamic, though they were all well matched. And they brought our different aspects of each other as well, Ruby and Blake with their romanticism, Weiss and Pyrrha with their selflessness, and Yang and Nora their more playful side.

He didn't really consider himself to be a romantic, but he could easily see the three couples lasting for a very long while if they all managed to survive in their line of work.

Soon enough it was time for them to depart upstairs to get ready for the evening. Ren waved to them as they left while he lingered over his dinner.

_Well, I suppose it's just me for the evening._

"I see you are without a team as well," a nearby voice rumbled quietly.

Ren glanced up to see Yatsuhashi Daichi standing with his tray in hand. "No Team CVFY?" he asked curiously.

The giant second-year shook his head. "No, Coco and Fox are spending the night in town. And I believe you know Velvet's plans."

"Yes, I do."

"You seem troubled. Do you mind if I join you?"

Ren blinked his eyes. "Not at all."

The tanned man settled himself down across from him, moving lightly for such a tall person. The pair finished their meals in comfortable silence.

"Do you have plans this evening?" Yatsuhashi asked quietly once Ren had set his utensil down.

"Not really, no."

"I find it helpful to meditate when my mind is unsettled." He looked searchingly into Ren's magenta eyes, his own dark orbs like pools of calm. "Would you care to join me out in the gardens?"

"I would like that, yes." Ren gave him a soft smile which was returned.

As the two men walked to deposit their trays, Ren shook his head very slightly as he glanced up at the other, towering over a foot above him.

_It's always the eyes that do me in..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was something a little different. I am absolutely not a yaoi writer, nor even a reader, so this is a bit outside of my comfort zone. But, I figure there's no way to grow if I always stay in my comfort zone. Still threw in a healthy dose of yuri, though, because it's me. As for the title, I was originally going for something like matchmaker, but that was too obvious, and that led me to Cupid, and then the current title which is the Greek form of the Roman god of love.
> 
> For the Lie Ren and Yatsuhashi Daichi pairing, officially I'm going to have to go with Uriel Godfire's suggestion of Zen Masters. It's far too awesome to pass up. In fact, I got it added to the official Ship Sheet. Go, me.


	13. Lotus Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren is cautiously optimistic of his burgeoning relationship. Now if he can just keep the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR from meddling…

**Beacon Academy**  
**Tuesday Evening**

As had become their custom, Lie Ren and Yatsuhashi Daichi met in a secluded corner of the garden on the Beacon grounds after dark. Each wore simple, comfortable clothes and brought their bamboo mats along.

"How was your day today, Ren?" Yatsuhashi asked solicitously.

"Well, thank you. Yourself?"

"Also well, though uneventful."

They shared a brief smile before arranging themselves on their mats, legs crossed in the lotus position and hands placed loosely on their knees. When they had started their meditation sessions over the weekend, they had sat with a respectable distance between them. Now, their mats were almost touching.

Ren pushed the train of thought off to the corner of his mind. _I am not dwelling on the possibilities of the future or the memories of the past. Now is the time to clear my mind._

_And simply enjoy the company of Yashi._

He did allow himself a very slight smile as he remembered that first night when the giant hunter-in-training asked him to use the nickname. As he understood it, only his teammates called him that.

If he were to be honest with himself, the friendly gesture caused more than a few butterflies to float about in his middle.

Pulling in a deep breath that filled his lungs, Ren slowly let the air out, releasing all of his stress and tension with it. Soon enough his breathing was slow and modulated.

Curiously, it was in sync with his meditation partner.

They were there for perhaps fifteen minutes when Ren noticed they had company. A pair of individuals, from the sounds of their attempt at stealth. A soft snort issued from Yatsuhashi to indicate he had heard as well.

 _I suppose it was only a matter of time,_ he sighed inwardly. _I wonder who gathered the courage first to try and observe us? If I were a betting man, I would guess Yang and Nora, but the two of them would sound like rampaging Ursae no matter how quiet they would try to be._

The soft rustling went on for almost a full minute before it stilled. Ren sighed softly.

"You may as well come out."

"Sorry, Ren, we were trying really hard to be silent!" a small voice piped up.

The sound caused Ren to turn his head and glance over his shoulder. "Ruby?" he asked incredulously.

"And me as well," Blake murmured, slightly abashed.

"We didn't mean to, um, spy on you guys," Ruby added hesitantly. "We just wanted to, well…"

The two girls emerged from the bushes and stood holding hands, both looking as if they were caught sneaking cookies when they shouldn't.

 _A situation I imagine Ruby has some familiarity with_ , Ren thought to himself humorously. Out loud, he replied, "What was it you needed?"

"We just, um…" The small redhead seemed to be reaching for the right words to latch onto. With an affectionate sigh, Blake came to her girlfriend's rescue.

"The two of us were curious about your meditation," the Faunus explained gently. "If it wouldn't be too intrusive, would you mind if we simply sat with you quietly?"

"Yep, quiet as a mouse, that'd be us," Ruby gushed enthusiastically. "Won't even know we're here, just sitting here all quiet-like. That'd be us. Quiet."

"Ruby," the raven-haired girl smiled, placing her hand over her girlfriend's lips. "Shush."

"Sorry," the redhead replied, her words muffled.

Ren glanced over at Yatsuhashi amusedly. The large man shrugged. "I do not have a problem with it if you do not."

"Very well," Ren agreed, closing his eyes again.

He allowed his mind to drift once more, surprised that the two girls, after settling onto a bench behind them, were true to their word and made virtually no sound.

After the hour was up, both Ren and Yatsuhashi inhaled sharply before stretching their arms over their heads.

They wordlessly got to their feet to roll their mats up, but Ren paused as he glanced back behind him again.

Blake was sitting on the bench with Ruby lying next to her, her head on the Faunus' lap.

"Is she asleep?" Ren asked humorously.

The raven-haired girl nodded with a soft smile while she ran her hands through her girlfriend's dark red tresses. "We came for the serenity," she explained quietly. "I think it was a little too much zen for her."

Yatsuhashi chuckled. "Good to know we're a calming influence."

Blake returned the chuckle. "Well, next time she's overhyped on sugar, I know who to call."

Ren and Yatsuhashi gave her a friendly smile as they departed, the Faunus stating that she'd let Ruby slumber for a while longer, at least until her posterior got tired of the bench.

"That was… unusual," Yatsuhashi murmured.

Ren nodded. "Not the two I expected to snoop."

"Yes, I imagine there might be some curiosity about us."

They walked for some while longer before Ren dared to say what was on his mind.

"I might have some curiosity as well," he whispered.

The tall man nodded slowly without pausing in his steps. "I imagine so," he murmured. "Is what we have sufficient for the time being?"

"For now," Ren agreed, somewhat incredulous at his own daring in his response.

"Then," Yatsuhashi continued, "be content in the knowledge that… what we have is a matter of introspection for me in my meditations. And while I do wish to… discuss it further, I must ask for your patience."

"That is acceptable," Ren replied quietly.

Yatsuhashi paused at the entrance to the dorms, turning to place one of his massive hands gently on the slender boy's shoulder.

"I greatly appreciate the time we spend together," he murmured earnestly. "And I also appreciate your… patience."

Ren smiled slightly, daring to briefly place his own hand over Yatsuhashi's. "I am patient," he agreed. "And I will wait for you to arrive to where you need to be."

Yatsuhashi returned the smile, squeezing his shoulder with a tenderness at odds with his size, before entering the dorms and heading for the second-year student wing.

Ren stood in place. Internally he was dancing about in a most un-Ren-like manner, though outwardly the only reaction was a slight widening of the smile. But then he started at a soft clearing of a throat behind him.

Blake stood there with a sheepish smile, carrying a still-slumbering Ruby on her back while grasping her under her knees. The diminutive redhead's arms flopped bonelessly in front of the Faunus' chest.

"Sorry to eavesdrop," Blake murmured. "But… I just wanted to say how happy we are for you. All of us, that is."

"It is only a beginning," Ren replied modestly.

"We all started out as only beginnings," Blake smiled, turning to place a kiss on Ruby's cheek. The small girl mumbled inaudibly before burrowing further into her girlfriend's black mane of hair. "But those beginnings can become something extraordinary," she continued, her voice somewhat wondrous.

"One can hope."

"And we do, all of us. Nora and Ruby even ganged up on Yang to forbid her to tease you."

"That was… very nice of them." Ren stepped forward, holding the door open for Blake to enter with her softly snoring cargo.

"It's the least we can do," Blake grinned as she passed him.

**Wednesday Morning**

The combined teams of RWBY and JNPR were in their usual spots the next morning, blearily attempting to kick-start their day via copious intakes of either sugar or caffeine, given their preferences. Particularly in the case of Ruby and Nora, who tended to use the unadulterated energy of sugar to power their semblances rather than their aura, according to the two of them anyways, their boost of choice consisted of chocolate-chip pancakes oozing with copious amounts of strawberry syrup.

"How can you even eat the two of those flavors together?" Blake murmured, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Ifth delifious," Ruby mumbled around her forkful.

"Yeah, don't knock it till you try it!" Nora added, sopping up her syrup with a pancake in her hand.

"Nora…" her blonde girlfriend sighed sleepily. "You are not touching me until you wash your hands."

"Didn't mind getting all sticky last night," the pinkette snickered.

"Nora!" six voices complained in unison. Ren just shook his head in amusement, far too used to his best friend's antics to be taken aback by anything anymore.

"Is this a bad time?" a light voice chirped from behind. Team CVFY stood there with breakfast trays in hand, looking on with various degrees of hilarity.

"No more than usual," Jaune replied to Velvet with a chuckle. "Care to join us? We can all shift over."

"Much appreciated," Coco smirked. "I notice a satisfactory amount of caffeine on the table here. Obviously, we're in the right place."

"Come, drink and be merry!" Yang cheered as she slid over a seat. "Or, at least, drink and try to wake up. Are second-year classes this early as well?"

"I'm afraid so," Velvet laughed. "Hence the coffee ritual."

"One we are well familiar with," Blake commented.

Velvet placed her tray next to Jaune and sat, as did Yatsuhashi next to Ren, much to the latter's pleasure. He simply gave the large man a welcoming smile, which was returned warmly.

"Sooo…" Yang drawled, glancing over at Jaune and Velvet. "You two an item now?"

The blonde boy and the brunette Faunus glanced at each other shyly. "I… suppose we are?" Velvet replied hesitantly.

"I think we could say so, yeah," Jaune grinned.

Velvet smiled back at him winningly. "Right, then. Yes, we're a couple."

"And now how about you two?" Weiss interjected, pointing her fork between Ren and Yatsuhashi.

The table got very quiet, as several incredulous stares were shot at the heiress.

"Sweetie, we're not bringing that up just yet," Pyrrha murmured under her breath.

"We're not?" the platinum-haired girl asked, puzzled.

Her redheaded girlfriend leaned over and whispered a few things in her ear while the others just looked down at their food in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm sorry," Weiss grumped after a few seconds. "Obviously, I didn't get the memo."

"It is fine," Ren sighed with a slight smile.

Yatsuhashi nodded genially. "No offense has been taken. Though, you will not be getting an answer yet."

"Yet?" Yang grinned expectantly, only to squawk when she was hit upside the head by her girlfriend. "Ow! Dammit Valkyrie, what was that for?"

"You know very well what that was for, Blondie," the orange-haired girl smirked.

"I wasn't teasing," Yang grumbled.

Nora quickly took pity on her pouting girlfriend and leaned over to place a kiss first on the back of her head and then her cheek. Yang grinned in return, sneaking in a quick peck on her lips before she could withdraw.

"So, then," Ruby broke in, clearly trying to shift the conversation in a new direction. "Can I ask you a question, Fox?"

"Me?" the tanned boy replied, perplexed at having been addressed. "Um, sure, go ahead."

"Are you actually blind?"

"Ruby!" her platinum-haired partner chastised. "That is incredibly insensitive!"

"Why's that? I mean, it's just a question…"

"It's okay," Fox laughed, not offended at all by the small team leader's irreverence. "I don't mind, really. And yes, I'm blind, have been from birth."

"But… I don't get it!" Ruby interjected. "I've seen you fight, and you're all _whapow_ and _hiyaa_ and all that, how can you fight like that if you can't see?" She flung her hands about as she talked, narrowly missing smacking Ren on the nose. Blake, accustomed to the excitable girl's antics, had already shifted her head back out of range.

"It's my semblance," Fox explained. "When I activate it, I become hyper-aware of things."

"Oooh, is it like radar? Or sonar? Or something like that?" the small redhead asked intently.

"More like… I see the auras of people, or the distinct lack of an aura. Inanimate objects show up as a middle hue. Coco has explained to me that it might be best interpreted as grey. While auras shine brightly, and those without them, such as Grimm, are a solid dark."

"Like black," Coco nodded. "Pretty sure it's monochrome from what Foxy's described."

"That's actually pretty fascinating," Blake murmured. "I imagine you would be at an advantage at night or in darkness."

Fox shrugged modestly. "I am anyways, I can sense things well enough to get around even without my semblance. Especially by touch, I have very sensitive hands."

"Oh, yes he does," Coco sighed dreamily.

"Annnd that's enough details, thankyouverymuch!" Ruby interjected, blushing slightly and causing laughs to erupt around the table.

"Nora, I burnt my tongue on my coffee. Kiss it and make it better?"

The pinkette giggled as she pulled her girlfriend down into a kiss. "You are such a dork," she murmured affectionately.

**Thursday Evening**

Ren and Yatsuhashi had been in their accustomed meditative positions for almost half of their usual time when, unexpectedly, the giant man cleared his throat quietly.

"Would it disturb you to converse while we sit here?"

His brow slightly furrowed, Ren shook his head slowly. "Not at all. What is on your mind, Yashi?"

"I… would like to discuss… us."

"Oh. I see." Ren tried to quell the resurging butterflies as they threatened once again to take over his stomach. _A King Taijitu I can face fearlessly, and yet here I am terrified of a conversation._ "Please continue."

Yatsuhashi sighed, the sound like a gust of wind rolling down a mountain. "I have not had many… relationships. Most of them were somewhat superficial. I have been examining ours, however, and… it seems to be different. In a good way."

Ren willed himself not to shift position and remain his usual outwardly placid self. "I feel the same about you," he confessed quietly. "And I am not one to move quickly in anything of such… import. Yet I feel the need to do so, and it confuses me."

The man next to him chuckled. "Why, Ren, that was positively eloquent of you."

He smiled gently in return. "It happens sometimes," he agreed wryly.

They sat in silence for another minute, Ren waiting patiently for his friend to continue.

"I am unusually nervous," Yatsuhashi mentioned softly.

"As am I."

"What I am attempting to get at… and I am hopeful I am correct in the assumption that you wish for the same… is that I would like to explore a relationship with you."

Ren let out a happy exhale. "You are correct," he replied with a wider smile. "I would greatly like that as well."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "Good."

The pair of them resumed their meditation, the air of contentment radiating from each man almost tangible.

"I must warn you, though," Ren interjected quietly. "I do believe Nora will owe Yang lien over this matter."

The large man blinked his eyes incredulously. "They… made a bet on us?"

"On the timing of it, from what I overheard."

Yatsuhashi's booming laugh echoed throughout the garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hugs and adorable Ruby snuggles for reading yet another installment of the Lemonade series. This marks the tenth story and is the sequel to Eros, as well as my second hopefully less-than-lame attempt at yaoi. Fear not, I will return to our other three fearless yuri couples soon enough.


	14. Strawberry Lemonade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Nora hit the streets of Vale once more for an enjoyable evening. Can the town handle their particular brand of fun?

**Downtown Vale**  
**Saturday Evening**

The trees surrounding the town were beginning to turn green again and the temperatures starting to rise. Many people were out and about, quietly enjoying the early Spring weather as the sun began to set over Vale.

The tranquility of the evening was broken by a pair of forms streaking down the street, hurdling obstacles and deftly avoiding collisions with townsfolk.

Nora Valkyrie added a handspring to her vault over the guardrail that protected a spot of greenery, while Yang Xiao Long simply made the jump in one long stride.

"Show-off," Yang snickered to her girlfriend as they sped along, her blonde hair streaming out behind her.

"Nah, I'm just that good!" Nora laughed gleefully. "Wheee-hee-hee!"

"Get back here you two!" a male voice hollered from behind.

The blonde bruiser rolled her eyes as she leapt onto a car traveling down the street they were crossing. "Pretty spry for an old guy!" she shouted to Nora, who was jumping from car to car like her as they traversed the busy intersection.

"Well, we did insult his daughter…"

"She started it! We were just trying to have a quiet drink!"

"And they were having a wedding rehearsal dinner!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect that at all," Yang admitted breezily as she slid across the hood of the final car and skipped past a couple of staring pedestrians. "Or the size of the family."

"I think I would go crazy with that many brothers," Nora giggled. "And male cousins."

"There _is_ quite the posse after us."

"Remind me why we didn't just stay and brawl it out?"

"Because, silly, that'd be bad form, knocking someone's teeth out right before they were in a wedding."

"True. You're so considerate, sweetie." Nora made a running leap onto the awning of a storefront to get around a large, milling crowd of shoppers, Yang right on her heels.

"Aw, thanks, babe," Yang replied merrily, somersaulting in midair as she vaulted from the canvas overhang. "I do try."

The blonde landed with a tumbling roll, springing back to her feet and continuing to run. "Nailed it," she commented.

As the pair raced around another corner, they skidded to a sudden halt at the appearance of two authoritative figures.

"Um, hey there, Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch!" Yang gave a little wave while Nora peered nervously over their shoulders.

"Miss Xiao Long, Miss Valkyrie," Ozpin greeted them calmly, pushing his ever-present dark glasses up on his nose with two fingers. "Having a pleasant evening?"

"Yep, very much so! You?"

"Indeed. Well, don't let us keep you." He smiled at them slightly as they both hastily said their goodbyes and tore back off down the street.

"Glynda, if you wouldn't mind," he murmured, inclining his head towards a towering stack of crates that stood to the side of the street in preparation for loading onto a waiting truck.

The blonde huntress sighed as she heard the approaching footsteps and angry shouting, indicating the pursuit in progress. She flicked her crop towards the stack, sending it toppling to the ground and neatly blocking off the street.

"You are far too lenient with our students," she scolded with a roll of her eyes.

Ozpin smiled calmly in reply. "Only with the special ones."

Yang and Nora made it several more blocks before they slowed to a walk. "Well, I think we lost 'em," the blonde commented.

"Yep. So now what? The night is still young for two adventurous girls such as ourselves!"

"Well… There's another bar around the corner here. I figure we go on in and I drink you under the table, how's that sound, babe?"

" _Pfft_. Bring it, Blondie."

**Unknown Location**  
**Late Saturday Night**

Yang blearily came to her senses some indeterminable length of time later. She shook her head groggily, the effects of her overconsumption of alcohol still lingering.

"Owie," she heard her girlfriend mumble nearby. "Yang?"

"Here, sweetie."

"Why am I cuffed?"

"Um. I dunno, looks like I am too."

"I remember the bar, the second one… and drinking… _lots_ of drinking… Oum, how much did we have to drink?"

"Considering the number of Grimm parading around in my head, I'd guess a crapload of it."

She heard Nora shuffle about in the darkness, likely trying to sit up, so she did the same. Eventually, as she righted herself her shoulder bumped up against the pinkette.

"I think we're on a bed pushed up against a wall," Yang murmured.

"But where?"

Their musings were interrupted as the door to the room opened, blinding the two temporarily.

"Ow, dude, you don't just do that to someone just come off a drinking binge," Nora complained. "Not cool."

"Shut up," the male voice grunted as he closed the door behind him. With the flick of a switch, a very dim light came on, enough to allow them to view their surroundings. It was indeed a small bedroom, the only furniture being the bed they were resting on and an endtable holding the small lamp that was the source of their illumination.

The man standing in front of them wore rough clothes to cover his large frame, and he had a stunstick tucked his belt.

"Sooo… who might you be, tall, dark, and ugly?" Yang quipped.

"I'm one of the guys who's gonna get rich off yer bounty, that's who," the man smirked.

"Bounty?"

"Ya see, there's this rather powerful guy whose wedding party you managed to crash, and he wants both of your heads." He gave them an evil leer. "And we're gonna collect. First, though…"

The ugly man licked his lips, his eyes traveling the length of both of the bound women.

"Contract don't state the state of your condition on delivery," he continued. "Maybe I'll have a little fun, first. Now, you gonna cooperate, or should I stun you first?" The thug removed his stunstick from his belt. "I'd rather not use this, 'cause I like 'em feisty."

Yang blinked her eyes incredulously, sharing a glance with her lover. _Is this guy for real?_ Then her violet orbs lit up with inspiration.

"Wait, please mister, don't shock my girlfriend," she pleaded with a decent amount of authenticity. "She's scared to death of being electrocuted!"

"I am?" Nora asked, puzzled. "Oh! Yes, yes I am! Oooh, no, please don't shock me!"

Yang choked down a snicker _We are so working on her acting skills when we get back._

The brute of a man looked between the pair uncertainly before hefting his stunstick and waving it in Nora's general direction somewhat aimlessly.

"What, that's it?" Yang scoffed. "That's not very convincing."

"Whaddya mean?" he grunted. "I'm threatening her! So now you gotta cooperate!"

"Nope. I don't think you'll actually do it."

"I will!"

'You still scared, Nora?"

"Not really," the orange-haired girl replied nonchalantly. "I mean, I was before, yeah, but now it's like, 'Oooh, a mouse,' kinda, y'know?"

"So, Mouse," Yang chortled. "Why don't you just scurry on out, then?"

With a subdued shout of inarticulate rage, the man lunged forward and thrust his stunner into Nora's midsection. The play of electricity lit up her face as she formed a particularly evil-looking smirk.

"Finally," she stated, her voice dripping with anticipation. With a _snap_ , she brought her hands out from behind her, trailing the remains of her handcuffs.

"Uh-oh," the thug muttered.

Out in the main living area of the apartment, seven men lounged about the room, on couches or at a card table.

"I still don't get why we needed all eight of us," one of them muttered as he examined his playing hand.

Another grunted as he placed a card on the table. "They were supposed to be some badass huntresses-in-training. We lucked out and found 'em out cold."

"But now we gotta split it eight ways!"

"And that's why we asked for more."

Any response was cut off as the door to the room holding their prisoners went exploding off its hinges, followed by their leader. They all rose to their feet cautiously, clutching various weapons and eyeing the unconscious man as well as the darkened portal warily.

The only sound to reach their ears was two feminine voices coming from the dimly lit room.

"Ow! Nora, not like that!"

"Will you hold still? I gotta do this fast before I lose my charge."

"I will shock you myself if you will be a little more careful."

"I almost got it, relax!"

"Nora, that's my pinky, _that's my pinky_!"

"Oops, sorry Blondie!"

"You know what, just snap the chain, we'll deal with the cuffs later, 'kay?"

"You bet, beautiful!"

There was a metallic _snap_ and then silence.

"You think they're waiting for us?" the first voice whispered.

"I don't think they ran away."

"Likely not. So, frontal assault?"

"I like the way you think, Blondie. Frontal assault it is."

Two forms came hurtling out of the room, one trailing a mane of blond hair which inexplicably seemed to be glowing, while the other was orange-haired and giggling maniacally.

The remaining seven men in the gang never stood a chance.

As Yang knelt next to the groaning form of the last man, she slapped him lightly on the cheek.

"C'mon, dude, I need an address. Where is this guy that put the bounty on us?"

"Oh, Yang?" her girlfriend sang out sweetly. "I got it!"

The pinkette held up a scroll triumphantly.

Yang chuckled and stood to envelop Nora in a hug. "I love you," she murmured affectionately. "Let's go bust some more heads."

"You think the wedding's over by now?" Nora asked as they stepped over bodies to exit the apartment, dropping the now-shattered handcuffs to the floor.

"At this point, I really don't care."

"Good point. Hey, maybe there's some cake left…"

**Early Sunday Morning**

It took them the rest of the night hours to reach their destination on foot. Both were weaving slightly, their arms wrapped around another for support, as the adrenaline wore off and the effects of their earlier drinking returned.

"I think I got bopped on the head in that fight," Nora muttered, clutching at her forehead. "It's killing me."

"Nah, you just got a hangover."

"How can I have a hangover if I haven't been to sleep yet?"

"The fact that you can make that statement tells me you're still tipsy."

"And the fact that you can't walk straight tells me so are you."

"What do you mean?" Yang protested. "I'm walking perfectly straight."

"Your straight is not the same as my straight."

"Maybe your straight is wrong."

"Or maybe we're both bent."

The couple had to pause in their trek as they collapsed against each other, giggling like fools before Yang planted a sloppy kiss on Nora's lips. The grinning pinkette reached up with a finger, narrowly missing poking Yang in the eye. With her second try, she managed to plant it on the blonde's nose.

"Boop," she giggled cheerfully.

They resumed their walk, finally arriving at the gated mansion just as the sun began to rise. There were a pair of what looked to be guards standing in front.

"Looks like the place," Yang commented. "All dark and foreboding with the guards and fence and stuff."

"Classic bad guy's lair," Nora agreed. "I say we demolish it."

"Now how can I refuse you with sweet talk like that?" the blonde giggled as they strode along.

"Hey you two, clear off…" The guard who spoke paused, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses as he took in their appearance. "It's them! It's those two bitches!"

"Oh, that's just hurtful," Yang smirked. She leapt up to deliver a roundhouse kick to his face, spinning him around and into the gate where he collapsed, unconscious. Nora darted forward, smashing her fist into the second man's midsection, sending him through the gates and halfway across the driveway. The metal gate on the right-hand side fell completely off its hinges, crashing to the concrete with a ringing noise.

"Huh," the pinkette said dryly. "They really don't make gates like they used to."

"Definitely shoddy construction," her blonde girlfriend agreed, stepping over her opponent's form to stand in the middle of the driveway.

"Hellooo?" Yang called out cheerfully. "Bounty delivery service! Can I get someone to sign for these two gorgeous women?"

Nora snickered, leaning against the stone column that formerly served to support the gate. "Don't forget sexy," she added.

"Right! Sexy, and tough, and… and…"

"What is the meaning of…" The familiar older man striding out from the mansion stopped in his tracks once he took in the pair of girls outside. "You!"

"Us!" Nora cheered. "So, we gonna do this or what?"

The man stood there, gaping incredulously until Yang let out a sigh. "Look, old man, we're tired and hungover. Our beds call for us. So let's cut to the chase here, you gonna call off the bounty or you wanna try and collect on it?"

That seemed to shock him out of his reverie, and he turned to angrily call back into the large house for reinforcements.

"Oh, goodie," Nora laughed, pushing off of the column. "We get to do it the fun way!" She promptly fell flat on her face.

"Sweetie, bad guys are that way," Yang snickered, helping the pinkette to her feet and giving her a push towards the men beginning to pour out of the mansion. "Sic 'em."

"Thanks, Blondie!" Nora replied fuzzily. "I'm on it!"

Truthfully, with their hangovers and generally inebriated state, the pair of girls should have easily fallen prey to the advancing men, if it were not for two terrible miscalculations on the part of their opponents.

The first was the liberal use of stunsticks on the orange-haired hellion, who subsequently shook off her earlier stupor to wade in gleefully.

The second was the one brother who grabbed Yang by the hair, tearing out a few strands by the root.

The resulting carnage was enough to give all of the combatant family members and associated henchmen nightmares for days to come.

"Right, then," Nora chirped as she crouched over the older man. "You gonna get rid of that pesky bounty, or do I let my gorgeous girlfriend go all rampaging on your skinny butt?"

The man looked past the pinkette, terrified at the visage of the panting Yang, her eyes red and her very body glowing from the fires that licked around her frame.

"Y- yes, I'll call it off! I will!"

"Good," Yang growled, taking a step forward. "'Cause next time we have to come down here, it'll be with friends and with our weapons. Got it?"

The trembling man nodded rapidly as Nora got to her feet.

"Oh, hey, any wedding cake left?" the orange-haired girl asked curiously, receiving a shake of the head in reply. "Oh, well."

They carefully picked their way over the broken and moaning bodies that littered the battlefield, holding hands so that they might not trip.

"Oooh, now my head's pounding again," Nora complained once they were on the street.

"It's the adrenaline wearing off once more," Yang replied, giving her lover's head a gentle rub. "Let's go get a drink and take the edge off."

"Okay, Blondie."

"YANG XIAO LONG! NORA VALKYRIE!"

Both of the girls winced, not just from the piercing shout that likely echoed throughout all of Vale, but also because of the voice's owner.

"Um, hey, Weiss," Yang said weakly as she turned around.

The platinum-haired girl was storming up the street, her girlfriend Pyrrha in tow. Both had thunderous expressions on their faces.

"Oh, we're in trouble now," Nora murmured.

"Big time," Yang agreed.

"Do you two have any idea how long we have been looking for you?" Weiss loudly scolded, her ice-blue eyes flashing furiously.

"Shhh, please, Weiss, not so-"

"TWELVE HOURS! All of us have been scouring Vale for you two dolts! And here we find you, brawling on the grounds of a mansion!"

"But he started it when-" Yang continued to try and defend themselves.

"Ahpupupup!" Weiss interrupted with a hand raised imperiously. "Even Ren and Yatsuhashi have been out looking! And they had their first date tonight! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Both Yang and Nora hung their heads, abashed, while Pyrrha simply looked on, her arms crossed and her emerald eyes hard and unforgiving.

"You two will go straight up to our room and apologize to Ruby first. Your sister, our team leader, has been out of her mind with worry, Yang. You as well, Nora. Go on!"

"Yes, ma'am," Yang mumbled in agreement, her eyes still downcast. Nora nodded and, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend, together began to stagger off towards the airbus.

Weiss and Pyrrha stood in place until they were out of sight before they couldn't contain themselves any longer and broke out into giggles.

"Oh my Oum, I've never seen the two of them so afraid of you!" Pyrrha said, wiping tears of mirth from her face.

"And can I just tell you how incredibly satisfying that felt?" Weiss added gleefully. "Oh, I should have gotten a picture. Let me message Ruby, tell them they're on the way and for Blake to get her scroll ready."

Pyrrha linked her arm through Weiss' as they strolled off. The redhead glanced over her shoulder at the carnage they were leaving behind.

"Should we inquire as to the reason for all that?"

"Not important," Weiss dismissed as she read the incoming response on her scroll. "I'm sure they deserved it in some way or another."

"True enough. So has Ruby decided what they're going to do?"

"Hmmm… Looks like she's going to play your role and just give them the silent treatment. My guess is because she won't be able to keep a straight face if she has to speak."

"That would work. I'm sure Blake can administer the dressing-down. When do we tell them that we're really not all that mad at them?"

Weiss tucked her scroll away and looked musingly off into the distance. "I wonder how many concessions I could wring out of that blonde oaf…"

"Sweetie, that's mean."

"This is Yang we're talking about, I have to milk it for all it's worth! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to gain the upper hand with her?"

"Yes, dear…" Pyrrha sighed affectionately, leaning over to plant a kiss on the platinum crown of hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do so love this pair. Team Collateral Damage strikes again!


	15. Ladybug Stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is devastated when her precious red cloak is damaged in a fight with Grimm, but Blake knows just what to do. Ruby/Blake (Ladybug).

Abigail Dove had lived in her birthplace of Vale for many years. Eighty-some years had passed, though who really kept track of the years anyway, and yet still she was working in the same shop her mother did, and her mother's mother before her.

Miss Dove, as all of her customers called her, was one of the few seamstresses in Vale who did all of her work by hand. According to her, it made for much finer, meticulous repairs. Her clients varied from upper-class debutantes to working-class laborers and a rainbow of society in between, but they all received the same loving care of the clothes they entrusted to her.

She supposed she'd still be sewing when they came to cart her off to an old folk's home, not that she'd ever let them carry her away. She loved her job and she loved her little store, full of bright cloths and threads and clothing samples.

It was true, she supposed, that a person could visit one of the more automated shops and have their mending done faster and for the same amount of money. But those who visited her knew the value of her work and her dedication.

She was sitting at her usual sewing table, perched on the edge of her favorite chair, and working on the blouse of one of the professors up at Beacon. Her spectacles were pushed up into her steely grey hair, closely curled to her scalp with not a strand out of place, while the sleeves of her green dress were pushed up to allow her strong fingers unhindered range of movement. The needle in her hands flashed in the late afternoon light as it darted in and out.

The elderly seamstress sighed contentedly as she sat back and held the article of clothing up for inspection. Not a stitch out of place and the original tear was completely invisible.

She was humming to herself cheerfully as she placed the garment on a hanger, standing up to place it on the rack nearby already filled with other articles of clothing, when the front door bell chimed.

Two girls walked into her shop, one with raven hair and a bow on the top of her head, while the other, smaller one had short dark red hair and was clutching a red bundle in her arms as if she were cradling a wounded animal.

"Well, hello there," she said pleasantly. "My name is Miss Dove, what may I do for you young ladies?"

"Um, hello," the smaller girl began hesitantly. "We were, well… I was hoping you could help me?"

"That's what I'm here for, dearie. Do you need something mended?"

"I do, yeah," she murmured, staring down at the bundle in her arms. "It's…" She sniffled slightly as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

The taller girl placed a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Her cloak got torn in our last fight with Grimm," she explained softly. "It's very precious to her, as it's all she has left of her mother."

"Oh, my," Miss Dove exclaimed, shuffling around the corner of the table. "Well then, rest assured I will treat it with the utmost care. May I see it?"

She held her hands out and waited for a good half a minute before the small redhead reluctantly extended her hands, though she seemed unwilling to actually release her grasp on the material.

"Ruby, you have to let go of it," the raven-haired girl admonished gently. "Let her see it."

"Right, right… I'm sorry, Blakey, I'm such a mess…" She sniffled again as she let go, pulling her arms in to wrap around her middle. "I'm getting all upset over a cloak…"

"But I know what it means to you," the other girl murmured reassuringly as the seamstress returned to her sewing table, cloak in hand. "You don't need to apologize."

"Alright then," Miss Dove sighed as she sat back down, carefully spreading out the red cloak. "Let's see… Hmm, yes it's a rather nasty tear there, but I can fix it up quickly enough…" She peered over the glasses she had slipped back down on her nose. "Now, I understand how special this is to you, young miss. Why don't the two of you have a seat across from me here while I work on it right now? I'll go get another chair from in back…"

"Oh, thank you so much, Miss Dove!" the smaller girl gushed, a hopeful expression on her face. "But don't worry about another chair, I can just sit on Blakey's lap."

The raven-haired girl laughed softly as she sat first, pulling the other down and nuzzling her neck. "Does that mean you want cuddles, Little Gem?"

"I _always_ want cuddles from my Blakey," the redhead cooed in reply, leaning back with a soft smile.

Miss Dove chuckled as she bent over her selections of thread, holding a few samples up against the cloak's fabric. "It's so nice to see a young couple in love."

Both girls shot her happy grins. "Well, we are at that!" the smaller girl replied brightly. "Oh, my name's Ruby, and this is my girlfriend Blake."

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you," Miss Dove replied solemnly, holding one more sample up before sighing. "However, I do have some unfortunate news. I'm unable to match the fabric exactly."

"Oh, no," Ruby moaned, her earlier cheer evaporated. "Does that mean it's gonna have an ugly scar?"

With a twinkle in her eye, the elderly seamstress sat back down and eyed the pair of teenagers. "Have either of you heard of a practice called Kintsukuroi?"

The girls glanced at each other before shaking their heads in the negative.

"Well, it's not as popular out here in Vale, but it originated in Vacuo. It predates the discovery of dust, actually." She leaned back in her chair and pushed her spectacles back up on her forehead. "You see, Kintsukuroi is the understanding that a piece, such as pottery or clothing, is more beautiful for having been broken. Much as a person would wear their scars with pride. And then what they do is to repair these breaks, or tears, or cracks, with either gold or silver, creating an even more beautiful look."

Ruby's silver eyes were wide as she digested the tale. "Wow… That does sound kinda cool…"

"I don't think we have the lien for gold thread, though," Blake commented lightly.

"Well, no dear, and I don't have any actual gold thread on me, though I do have gold-colored… No, what I was thinking of is more subtle. A darker red that should be fairly invisible from a casual distance, but you could see upon closer inspection."

"I really like that idea, Miss Dove," the redhead said with a small smile. "Could you do that, then?"

"Indeed I shall. Shouldn't take me too long, let me just pick out the right thread…"

The old woman listened humorously to the couple as she searched through her supplies.

"Thanks for coming with me, Blakey, I really appreciate it."

"Well of course, why would I let you go alone?"

"It's just… I know I've been all moody and all since my cloak got torn…"

"Mmhmm. Weiss was commenting on how we'd been together for so long, you were starting to act more like me."

"Oh, I wasn't _that_ bad…" Her teasing cut off with a squeal as the raven-haired girl began tickling her ribs.

"So what are you trying to say, Ruby?" she asked with a grin.

"Ahahaha, no, Blakey, stop…!"

Blake halted her tickling to grab hold of the squirming girl tightly. "Yes?" she prompted.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby squeaked breathlessly.

The raven-haired girl smiled softly and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips. "You're forgiven," she replied sweetly.

"The two of you are so adorable," Miss Dove laughed as she regained her seat, thread spool in hand. "How long have you been together?"

"Um, for a few months now," Ruby replied with a wide smile.

"Only that long? Well, I can tell you have something special. I know about these things, you see."

"Oh? Do you have someone special, Miss Dove?" the redhead asked.

"Oh, my, yes. I've had three loves in my life." She gathered the cloak into her capable though calloused hands, and her fingers began to deftly fly back and forth, in and out as the needle did its work. "I've buried two husbands, and just remarried again ten years ago next month." She paused to glance at the smiling pair. "My wife, now, she's the most feisty of them all!"

The three of them shared a good chuckle as she resumed her work.

"Would you believe that, just as far back as when I was a child, society frowned upon two people of the same sex getting married, or even having relationships?" the elderly seamstress inquired.

"Really?" Ruby asked, her brow furrowed. "Why would they do that? Seems kinda silly."

"Well, back then there was a lot of fear and the like. Some folk tried to focus it into disparaging those who they thought to be having 'unnatural' relationships."

"Pfft," the redhead exclaimed. "What's more natural than love? I mean, love is love, right?"

"You are such a romantic," Blake murmured into her girlfriend's hair. "I can understand some of that, though… Society is the same way today about humans and Faunus being together."

"And that's also stupid," Ruby retorted hotly. "Buncha ignorant, idiotic, self-serving… idiots!"

"It's true, you can see some of the same ignorance today in such cases," Miss Dove commented, not looking up from her stitching. "I suppose that makes the two of you very brave, doesn't it?"

"Uhhh…" Ruby gaped.

Blake looked back at her, wide-eyed. "I'm not sure I know what you mean…" she stated half-heartedly.

"Oh, come now, dearie. I've seen your bow twitch, especially when you're snuggling with your cute girlfriend there." Miss Dove chuckled to herself. "No need to be coy around me."

They were silent for another minute or so before the diminutive redhead stirred.

"I don't think we're being brave," she spoke up in a small voice. "I love her, and that's all that matters."

The raven-haired Faunus tightened her hold around her girlfriend. "I love you too, Little Gem," she said softly her eyes shining with unshed tears. "And I give thanks every day that you do feel that way about me."

"Aww, how could I not, Blakey?" she grinned, craning her neck. "Destiny, remember?"

They gazed lovingly into each other's eyes long enough that Miss Dove barked out a quick laugh.

"Oh, just go ahead and kiss each other already, I'm not going to mind."

With a quick giggle they did just that. The elderly woman snuck a quick peek at them, smiling softly at the affection and love that poured from them into such a simple meeting of lips.

"There!" she exclaimed, causing the couple to break apart with a pair of startled _squeak_ s. "All done!"

Miss Dove stood and held the cloak up in front of her proudly as Ruby jumped up from her perch on Blake's lap.

"Oh my gosh," the redhead breathed. "It looks so cool! Look, Blakey, it's hardly even noticeable!"

As Blake got up to peer closer, there was a burst of rose petals, and Ruby suddenly reappeared by the front door. "And you can't tell at all from far away!" she exclaimed excitedly. Another burst of petals brought her in between the startled seamstress and the cloak itself. "Oooh, and the stitches on this side are different! Is the inner or the outer?"

"This is the inner part of the cloak," Miss Dover reassured her as she brought her arms down to settle the red cloak around its owner's shoulders. "The stitching is more obvious there, closer to your heart."

"It looks amazing," Blake reassured Ruby. "Thank you so much, Miss Dove."

"Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you!" the redhead squealed, turning to give the old woman a tight hug.

The seamstress barked out a quick laugh as she returned the hug. "You are most welcome, Ruby."

"How much do we owe you?" Blake asked, pulling out her wallet.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dearie. I was merely happy for the company."

"But we can't just accept this for free!" Ruby protested as she leaned back, her silver eyes wide and pleading.

Miss Dove chuckled and patted the small girl's head affectionately. "Oh, very well then… how about twenty lien?"

Blake pulled the money out of her wallet and handed it over. "I still have enough for us to stop by the bakery on the way back," she said with a humorous glint in her eyes.

"Really?" Ruby gasped. "Oh, this is the best day ever!"

The seamstress laughed as she waved to the two departing teens. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ruby and Blake."

"You too, Miss Dove!" the redhead called out cheerfully. "And thanks again!"

Blake smiled at her softly. "Yes, thank you so much," she agreed.

The elderly woman sighed contentedly as she regained her seat. "The pleasure was all mine, dearies," she murmured at the closed door. "Now, let's see, what's next on the list…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little drabble today to get our Ladybug fix in. Kintsukuroi is actually from Japan and primarily has to do with ceramics, but I love the idea and it fit in well with the theme for the story.


	16. North Pole Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear of what's inside of me; tell me can a heart be turned to stone? Weiss is concerned over appearances, but Pyrrha is there to reassure her of what really matters.

_Mirror, mirror, what's behind you? Save me from the things I see.  
_ _I can keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me?_

Weiss Schnee stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she stood in her nightgown, having already finished with her nightly ritual in preparation for bed. What had riveted her attention was something she worked very hard to ignore usually, but after listening to Ruby and Blake recount their trip to the seamstress to fix her torn cloak, she seemed unable to get her mind off of it.

Her scar.

She normally wore light makeup over it, even to bed, reapplying it every morning. It was so automatic by now she didn't even need to watch what she was doing, affixing the concealer by touch. But it was a permanent reminder of her fallibility, according to her father. Her moment of weakness.

Just like he always had seen her. Weak. A failure and a disappointment.

Oh, she was sure that somehow, in his own way, he did love his daughters. Winter, though, had already slipped her leash upon graduating from Atlas Academy and joining the military. She cared not for his approval nor support. So that left Weiss, as the youngest, to do her familial duty and carry on the business, as well as produce heirs.

She sighed softly to herself. Neither of the latter items were going to happen, not if she had any say in it. Weiss had done her best to sever ties with the man, but she knew she was never completely free of his control, not until she graduated. And even then, he knew plenty of ways to make life difficult for a person.

Those with prodigious amounts of political and monetary power were always able to find such buttons to push.

The platinum-haired girl placed her hands onto the sink and leaned forward. The scar stared back at her accusingly, as if to ask what she really thought she could accomplish that wouldn't end up with even worse disfigurements. Scars on the outside, scars on the inside.

Weiss tried to push aside the insidious little voice that whispered to her how hideous she was, how damaged and pathetic. Beneath the confident mask that she presented to the world was a person filled with self-doubt and oftentimes self-loathing.

A scared little girl pretending to be a hero.

She didn't realize she'd begin to cry until the first choked sob escaped her lips. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, willing herself to calm, but the damage had been done.

A soft knock sounded at the door where Pyrrha had been patiently waiting for her turn.

"Weiss? Are you alright?"

The heiress took a deep, shuddering breath through her nose, closing her eyes as she desperately tried to stop the tears, not trusting in her voice at the moment. Of course, the moment's hesitation was enough to concern her girlfriend further, who slowly opened the door to peek inside. What she saw was enough to justify her worry, and the tall redhead quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Hey, now, little Snowflake," Pyrrha murmured quietly. She came up behind Weiss and encircled her waist with her strong though undeniably feminine arms. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Weiss muttered, abashed. She scrubbed her face with her hands irritably before freezing.

_I just wiped away my concealer in a bright room…_

She quickly covered her eyes with both hands. "Please, I'm sorry Pyrrha, could you excuse me for a moment? I'm… I need to…"

But she couldn't help herself as she began to sob again uncontrollably. _What is wrong with me? I should have better control than this!_

"Weiss, don't," her girlfriend gently admonished. "Don't push me away. If it's bothering you, then it's not nothing. Please talk to me?"

"But it's so stupid," Weiss moaned in embarrassment.

"No matter what it was, if it was enough to make you cry then it's important and I want to help," Pyrrha assured her. "Please, Weiss…"

The platinum-haired girl let out a long sigh and slowly dropped her hands to stare blurrily back into the mirror again. She was momentarily distracted by the sight of her favorite brilliant green eyes looking over her shoulder, Pyrrha's expression soft and loving, but she was quickly drawn once more to her disfigurement. It was an angry red now, exposed and ugly.

"It shouldn't bother me any longer," Weiss whispered. "But it's so… so ugly. How can you even stand the sight of it?"

Pyrrha's eyebrows lowered in momentary confusion, but she quickly blinked her eyes understandingly. "Oh, sweetie…" she sighed. She disengaged from her hug to step over to the toilet, lowering the lid and sitting down. She took hold of Weiss' hand and gave it a tug. "Come here, Snow Angel."

Weiss complied, though her nose wrinkled up in distaste. "Pyrrha, you're sitting on a toilet. I'm on your lap while you're sitting on a toilet."

"Yes, I know. Now listen to me carefully." The redhead turned Weiss around so that she was facing her, holding her with one firm arm around her waist while the other reached up to gently stroke her pale girlfriend's cheek.

"You are so beautiful, Weiss," she began quietly, her emerald eyes intense and her expression open. "Inside and out. You must believe me when I say this, I have never met anyone with your strength and courage and willpower. You are beautiful on the outside and you are beautiful as a person."

"How can you say that?" the platinum-haired girl whispered in a small, lost voice. "How can you think of me that way?"

"Because I love you, and I know you," Pyrrha reassured her. "I know what you've been through, I know what you think of when you see that scar because you've opened your heart up to me. And I am so, so very grateful that you have done so, I feel unimaginably blessed to have your trust and love."

Weiss looked back mutely at the redhead who had so captured her heart, the heiress' lower lip slightly trembling.

"I don't even notice the scar anymore," Pyrrha continued earnestly. "It's part of you, and I love all of you with all of my heart." She leaned forward then and placed a gentle kiss just above her eye, right on the upper part of the scar.

Weiss couldn't help it any longer and broke out into loud, gasping sobs. Tears of pain and love, hurt and gratitude, flowed down her cheeks, and Pyrrha clung to her tightly all the while, covering her face and neck with soft reassuring kisses while stroking her long platinum hair.

Eventually, her sorrowing subsided, leaving her panting for breath. Weiss let out a small hiccup as she began to finally calm down, feeling drained and yet somehow refreshed at the same time. Pyrrha still held her, rocking gently and now cradling her head on her shoulder.

"Pyrrha?" the heiress sniffled finally.

"Yes, Snowflake?"

"Pyrrha, you're sitting on a _toilet_! This is _so_ demeaning."

Pyrrha laughed wholeheartedly and scooped up her girlfriend up in her arms. "Would you like it better in your bed?" she asked with a wry grin.

"Yes, I would," Weiss replied primly, then spoiled it with a soft giggle as she lay her head back against Pyrrha's shoulder once more. "Dolt," she murmured affectionately. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, sweetie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sniffle. See these feels? Take them all! Take all the feels!
> 
> At least Weiss is no longer the loneliest of them all. With Pyrrha by her side, I think she can finally begin to heal her emotional wounds and become a stronger person.


	17. Fallen Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Look at me. Just look at me and stay awake, okay? Can you do that?"

Blake Belladonna had certainly kissed her fair share of guys, as well as one girl back at an early age though that was just on a dare. And she'd had one serious relationship, Adam, which had not ended… well. In any case, she was no stranger to romance, or so she thought.

But at that very moment, snuggled into the embrace of her girlfriend, team leader, and possibly the best friend she'd ever had, the Faunus couldn't help but think that kissing her made every other past event pale in comparison.

It certainly wasn't Ruby's skill, as she'd been fairly inexperienced even in that regard when they had started dating. As with all things that the diminutive redhead set her mind to, however, she was a fast and diligent study. It showed in her combat skill and leadership ability, always looking for improvement and when the time called for it, in the targets of her razor-sharp focus. The latter was certainly at odds with her oftentimes carefree attitude and short attention span, but once she focused onto something she absolutely did not let go, an admirable enough quality for a sniper.

Being the target of such focus could be a bit overwhelming, though, in this case, Blake decided she most certainly did not mind one single whit.

In fact, kissing Ruby was the closest Blake had come in a very long while to feeling… safe. Safe and warm and unbelievably happy. If Blake had been asked just a few short months ago if she even deserved such feelings, with everything she'd been through, she would have vehemently denied the notion.

But now, after having been with this jubilant bundle of energetic enthusiasm who unconditionally handed her heart into her care, she felt as if maybe, just maybe, she could deserve such happiness. Even in spite of her past, what she'd misguidedly done in the name of Faunus equality. All because of one redheaded diminutive girl who believed in her.

Blake let out a soft moan that dissolved unwillingly into a purr, lost in the sensation of Ruby's soft lips and tongue, and her deft hands running up and down her back. She tightened her grip on her girlfriend, her arm wrapped around her waist pulling her closer into her lap while her other hand, entwined in the dark red hairs at the back of Ruby's head, continued to hold her gently.

Eventually, of course, all good things must come to an end.

Ruby leapt off of Blake's lap with a surprised _yelp_ as the door to their dorm room banged open. Yang stood in the doorway, smirking widely with her fists on her hips.

"Makeout session is over, kids!" the blonde bruiser announced gleefully.

"Yang," the Faunus said with a slight growl from where she still sat cross-legged on the floor. "I know where you sleep."

"Yeah!" Ruby joined in from her sprawled position next to her. "Don't make us go into revenge mode, sis!"

"Well, dear sister and partner of mine," the blonde replied snarkily. "If you hadn't silenced your scrolls, you would have noticed our calling to tell you YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE LANDING PAD FIVE MINUTES AGO!"

" _Eep_!" Ruby squawked, scrambling to her feet. "How'd that happen? We still had half an hour!"

"Um, time flies when you're having fun?" Blake answered sheepishly, grabbing her field bag and accepting Ruby's helping hand to rise as well.

Yang rolled her eyes as she turned to leave. "Last one to the transport gets first watch tonight. And no semblance use, Ruby!"

"Aw, maaan!" the redhead grumbled as the couple closed the door behind them. "Short legs suck."

"Well, Little Gem," Blake grinned as they took off in a sprint after the blonde brawler. "If we tie, then we could share watch."

"I like the way you think, Blakey!" Ruby chortled.

The Faunus glanced at her girlfriend, noting the excited glint in her silver eyes as they ran side by side. _Yeah, maybe I do deserve this. Maybe._

They made it to the Bulldog air transport ten minutes late to be confronted by a very irate Weiss, who was standing by the idling craft with her arms folded and a tapping foot.

"I would have expected you two to be more responsible," she stated in full-on lecture mode.

"Hmm, true, much like arriving at the mission planning session on time, yes?" Blake answered straight-faced, reminding the heiress of last night's tardiness.

Weiss opened her mouth to retort but immediately snapped it shut again with a bright blush as she remembered the cause of her lateness, that being a certain tall, emerald-eyed redhead. With a huff, she whirled around and stalked into the waiting craft.

"Good one," Ruby snickered, bumping Blake with her shoulder as she followed her partner.

"Thanks for taking first watch, Blakey!" their other teammate called out, already ensconced within the Bulldog.

"What?" Ruby squawked indignantly. "We arrived together!"

"But your foot was on the ramp first, sis," Yang grinned.

Ruby grumbled incoherently as they took their seats and the small air transport began to rise.

"It's alright, sweetie," Blake murmured as she leaned over towards her irritable leader. "Fair is fair."

"Doesn't mean I won't sneak off to join you anyway," Ruby mumbled petulantly.

"Why, Ruby Rose," the raven-haired girl exclaimed quietly with mock surprise. "You are such a bad girl!"

The redhead in question simply folded her arms and smiled innocently in response.

It only took them an hour of flight to reach the site of their mission. Though still first-year students, their team was one of a select few deemed advanced and skilled enough to undertake such outings outside the walls of Vale without huntsmen escorts. In this particular case, they were investigating reports of increased Grimm activity, a common enough mission parameter.

After the Bulldog dropped them off the four friends quickly and efficiently set up camp, their tents arranged in a circle around the campfire that they'd light once darkness arrived.

"Hey, Ruby," Yang called out as she walked into the campsite, dropping a large armful of wood in the middle. "You going to set your tent up?"

"Um, well," her sister replied hesitantly. "You see, I figured I'd, well… bunk with… Blakey? Y'know, my girlfriend?"

"Oh." The blonde stood there for a moment, blinking her eyes. "Right. Got it." She turned then and dug into her pack for an energy bar. "Still going with the mission plan?" she asked over her shoulder, her voice studiously casual.

"Yep," Ruby replied cheerfully, missing the audible cue that Blake had picked up on. "Patrol by partners, Yang and Blake out first. Weiss and I will guard the campsite."

Yang nodded, still not looking at the others as she stood to face northward. "Ready, Blake?"

The Faunus sighed. _Looks like we're going to have another talk while we patrol._ "Sure," she replied evenly, gliding forward with her usual quiet lithe. She paused at her girlfriend's side to give her a quick kiss.

"See you soon," she murmured against Ruby's lips.

"Be careful," Ruby whispered. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Little Gem."

Yang and Blake walked side by side through the dense underbrush, the sky only intermittently visible through the scraggly overhang of the trees. Blake noted absently that her brash partner had managed to pick up on a few of her stealthy skills and moved much quieter than she would have back when they first became a team.

Granted, she was nowhere near Blake's level of covertness, but few were, really.

The rest of the Faunus' attention was focused on their mission, scanning the foliage and ground for tracks.

"So, Blake," Yang began quietly, her amethyst eyes also roaming about restlessly. "I'm, um… sorry for interrupting you and Ruby earlier."

Blake glanced aside at her partner warily, not expecting an apology as her opening remark. "It's fine," she replied just as quietly. "You were within your rights, we lost track of time."

"Yeah, well… still. It was a rude way of doing it. And I could have, um… interrupted worse things, I suppose…"

 _Here we go._ "There wouldn't have been anything worse to interrupt," Blake stated patiently, deciding to cut right to the chase.

"Oh. Well." Yang seemed to flounder a bit, seemingly startled to have been relieved of all her planned conversational subtlety at getting to her point.

"Yang," the Faunus sighed. "We're not doing anything. Really."

"Still?"

"Yes, still. We're very happy doing what we are."

"Both of you? I mean…" Yang physically groped for her words, her hands waving in front of her as she walked much as Ruby herself was apt to do. "She hasn't, um… wanted more?"

"No, she hasn't as of yet."

"Oh."

They walked for another minute or two before Yang spoke up again. "I think the damn anticipation is the worst part for me," the blonde groused.

Blake almost missed her next step, coming down on a twig and causing an uncharacteristic _snap_ of noise. "Pardon?"

"I just… I do fine for awhile, you know? I don't really think about it all that much," Yang admitted softly. "And then all of the sudden out of the blue I start to obsess over it."

"Should I be concerned that you really think about your sister having sex that much?" Blake joked, trying to relieve the tension.

"Seriously, Blake. Sometimes… Sometimes I just wish you guys would go ahead and do the deed and get it over with," Yang admitted, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The Faunus shook her head, struck momentarily speechless. Another minute passed until she could clear her throat and muster up a response.

"That's… Well, I don't quite know how to reply to that. But it's not going to happen anytime soon, as far as I can tell."

"But you'd be open to it?" Yang asked sharply, glancing towards her for the first time since they'd started the conversation. "If she were to ask?"

"Yes," Blake nodded simply.

Yang nodded as well. "Yeah, I should have figured that," she sighed.

"But I will in no way pressure her or encourage her," Blake tried to reassure her partner. "Yang…"

"No, no I get it," Yang cut her off somewhat brusquely. Her tone immediately softened apologetically. "I mean… yeah. Thanks, Blakey, I really appreciate your… honesty."

Blake smiled at her friend softly. "Anytime."

Another fifteen minutes later they finally came across some tracks. Unfortunately, they were somewhat discouraging.

"That," Yang proclaimed in a whisper as she crouched next to the Faunus, "is a whole lot of Ursae."

"Hmm," Blake agreed softly. "Should we go get the others?"

"Let's track them first, figure out where they are. That's what we're out here for, right? Save us time when we're all together."

Blake nodded and gracefully rose to her feet again. She unlimbered Gambol Shroud, noting that Yang had already brought Ember Celica down into their active position, primed and ready. Without another word the pair stalked forward, their ears and eyes peeled for any further sign of Grimm.

When they found the group of Ursa an hour later, they crouched at the edge of the clearing warily.

"What exactly do you call a group of Ursa?" Yang whispered idly. "A pack?"

"I think it's a sleuth," Blake replied distractedly as she counted the large Grimm gathered.

"Really, a sleuth?"

Blake's only reply was a soft hum of affirmation. "I count sixteen," she finally stated quietly. "Only three small ones, all the rest are fairly old."

"Whelp, that sucks," Yang murmured. "Definitely time to go get the others."

She made to get up, but Blake's hand whipped out to grab her arm firmly. Yang opened her mouth, but her partner shook her head slightly with a finger pressed to her own lips. Yang noted her bow was twitching furiously, and with an irritable huff, her partner pulled the end of it to uncover the most obvious sign of her Faunus heritage. Once she did, her amber eyes widened.

Blake pulled Yang in close and placed her mouth right up against her ear. "Something's coming up behind us," she breathed. "Following our trail. It's… big. But stealthy."

Yang pulled back and nodded determinedly. She made a slight motion towards the flank, and Blake nodded as well in reply. The pair of them slinked off in that direction, attempting to circle around the gathering of Grimm and away from whatever was stalking the pair of huntresses-in-training.

They didn't get very far before there was an earth-shattering roar back where they had been observing the other Ursae. The pair spun on their heels to see a mountainous mass of black fur rise up on its hind legs, easily twice the size of the largest Ursa they'd encountered to date. Blazing red eyes set into a scarred bone mask locked onto the two girls hatefully.

"Oh, that's a very big Ursa," Yang commented, far more calmly that the situation warranted.

Blake, on the other hand, had no such compunction. "Run!" she yelled, setting words into action.

Without further ado, the two of them charged off through the dense undergrowth, the crashing sounds of pursuing Ursae loud in their ears. Blake nimbly hopped over obstructing logs and bushes, while from the sounds of it Yang had abandoned all pretense of grace and simply smashed her way through any such hindrances.

All the while the noise of pursuit was overlaid by a strange noise, close to a barking sound but with a keening wail as an overtone.

"What is that sound?" Blake shouted the question over her shoulder.

"I dunno!" Yang yelled in reply, still close on her partner's heels. "Not gonna stop and ask, though!"

Years of training and experience with the White Fang had given Blake an almost otherworldly anticipatory sense. She'd managed to hone it to a fine edge while at Beacon, and was not a little bit proud of the fact that there was nothing that could take her by surprise.

Nothing, that is, except for the Ursa laying in ambush right along their flight path.

"Look out!" Blake warned as she leapt gracefully over the outstretched claws. As she soared through the air, twisting around to fire off a few rounds with her weapon, she felt the icy tendrils of real terror begin to close around her heart.

The Faunus wasn't nearly on the same level of intellect as, say, Weiss. She did well on her grades, mostly as a result of hard work and diligent class notes, but the one thing she had going for her was her speed of thought. She could quickly grasp a situation and act on it, not always successfully but she deemed it to be one of her more useful traits.

In the span of time it took for her to take to the air, her mind quickly assessed the situation and reported on the very real danger they were in.

 _Those sounds were the large Ursa, communicating with its brethren… it set up an ambush for us!_ Blake landed on her feet nimbly, extending Gambol Shroud into its katana form to slash at the Ursa's hind quarters. _It must be truly ancient, and we are so very far outclassed here!_

"Yang!" she shouted over the agonized roar of the wounded Ursa. "We have to go! Now!"

Her only reply was the sounds of Ember Celica firing explosively and Yang's yelled curses as she engaged what must have been more Ursa that had encircled them.

"Oum," the raven-haired girl breathed. She had to get to her partner quickly to support her.

Blake jumped back to avoid the strike from the Ursa in front of her, leaving a shadow image behind to take the hit. She set her feet against the tree that she landed up against and then pushed forward again, sweeping under the Ursa's claws to eviscerate it deftly. Rolling under its legs and avoiding the spill of gore, the Faunus leapt forward again towards the sounds of combat.

Her partner must have gotten pushed backwards, as she was several yards back now. Three large Ursa were closing in, with another pair already disintegrating at her feet. Blake paused as she saw movement on the edge of the scene, the mammoth Ursa circling around the edges as if waiting for her prey to tire.

_Oh, sweet Oum protect us, that Ursa is sending the other Grimm in as fodder to wear Yang down… How can any Grimm be that intelligent?_

And then the enormous shape paused to send its searing gaze straight at Blake. A new sound rose over the din that chilled the Faunus to the bone.

It was _laughing_ at her.

Blake felt weak at the knees, but she had to get Yang out of there before they were both very, very dead. She let out a shout of challenge as she fired Gambol Shroud off on the end of her ribbon, sending it into the flank of one of the advancing Ursa. She pulled and followed it in, landing with her feet on its shoulder. Whipping her weapon towards her again, she extended it back into a blade once more and stabbed down viciously, riding it down to the ground.

Just in time to be backhanded by the powerful behemoth Ursa who had somehow darted in with a speed that should not have been possible for its bulk.

Her right arm took the brunt of the hit, and while her aura shielded it from most of the damage it still went numb from the impact. Likely it would have easily broken without the benefit of the attribute that made all huntsmen such a powerful threat, but it was of little comfort as Blake went spinning through the air uncontrollably and right over the edge of the unseen cliff that the Ursae had been driving them towards, Yang's voice shouting her name following her over.

Blake's quick mind rapidly took in her dire situation, and with a flick of her wrist, she changed Gambol Shroud back into its Kusarigama form, firing it off towards a tree on the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately, with her numb arm, she missed her target and continued spiraling downwards. The ground rushed up to meet her, and blackness enveloped the raven-haired girl.

Meanwhile, Yang had delivered a finishing blow to the last of the other two Ursae that had surrounded her, smashing a powerful fist right into its face and cracking the bone mask in two. She whirled about, looking for more threats but the forest became suddenly silent. It was broken a few heartbeats later by an ominous chuckle, the sound like the grating of teeth.

"That," Yang announced to no one in particular, "is eerie as hell. I'm outta here."

She took a running jump and fired Ember Celica at her feet, sending her soaring over towards where she had seen Blake uncontrollably headed.

"Blake!" she called out as she tumbled to a stop, worried for her partner's safety. "Blake, where'd you- _Whoa_!"

She stopped herself just in time to keep from tumbling off of the steep cliff. Peering over the edge, she spied a small and unmoving form at the bottom far below.

"Oh, Dust," she breathed. "Hang on Blakey, I'm coming…"

Crashing noises sounded from behind her, and without thinking she flung herself over the edge. Halfway down she fired her weapons again several times, slowing her descent until she could tumble to a stop.

She stood up and glanced above her. Silhouetted against the darkening sky was the monstrous form of the huge Grimm that had been taunting them. It seemed to regard her steadily with its burning red eyes before seeming to give them up as not worth the effort, turning back around and shuffling through the underbrush.

Yang heaved out a sigh of relief that was cut short once she spied the crumpled form of her partner.

"Oh, no… Blake!" She darted forward to where the Faunus had dashed up against a cluster of rocks. It was obvious she had at least a broken arm, but she was also bleeding profusely from her head.

"No, no, no…" Yang moaned, her hands hovering over her partner. "Okay, let's think, keep it together Xiao Long…"

She quickly assessed Blake for further injury while she unwound her scarf from around her neck, carefully using it to clean off the raven-haired girl's face to find the wound there. To her relief, it seemed to be fairly minor, though she'd have a significant lump on her head until her aura could heal her. Unable to find anything more than scratches, she concentrated on putting pressure on the head wound and eyed the arm warily. It was sticking out at a slightly odd angle but fortunately hadn't broken the skin.

"Hey, wakey wakey, Blakey," she said softly, stroking her partner's cheek. "C'mon, gimme a sign here, just open your eyes, okay?"

Blake's eyelids fluttered open, her amber orbs unfocused. "Y- Yang?" she murmured unsteadily.

"Oh, thank Oum," the blonde breathed. "You're gonna be okay, Blake, just stay with me please, alright?"

"Tired," Blake sighed, her eyes beginning to sag shut again. Yang's panic reemerged as she desperately tried to recall how to treat for a possible concussion. The only thing that came to her was that she had to keep her partner conscious.

"Look at me," Yang demanded frantically. "Just look at me and stay awake, okay? Can you do that? Blake?"

The Faunus opened her eyes again, gazing up into Yang's worried face. "Hey," she breathed.

"Hey yourself," Yang murmured, her eyes filling with tears. "Can you stay with me?"

"Not goin' anywhere," Blake mumbled before wincing. "Arm hurts."

"Yeah… it's pretty bad off. Don't move it yet, okay?"

"'Kay."

Yang gently wrapped her scarf around Blake's forehead, carefully feeling around her head for any more bleeding. Blake reassured her that she didn't seem to hurt too badly anywhere else, though she was sporting a massive headache.

"Did you… call... others?" Blake murmured as Yang finished the loose knot.

"Not yet, lemme do that now…" She pulled out her scroll and sighed at the lack of any reception. "Looks like we gotta do this the hard way, Blakey."

"You goin'... carry me?"

"Yup."

"How… romantic."

Yang snorted a laugh. "Well, my cunning plan has been revealed, I got us ambushed by the most evil giant bitch of an Ursa we've ever seen just so I could sweep you off your feet."

Blake chuckled weakly in reply, used to her partner's unabashedly flirtatious antics. "Won't work."

"Hey, I can be charming, don't write me off yet!" Yang protested cheerfully, carefully gathering the Faunus up in her arms after fastening Gambol Shroud on her own waist. She eyed the broken arm warily. "Um, okay, so that arm's gonna be a problem…"

"Put it… on my stomach."

"Oh, right. Yeah, that'd work. Brace yourself, okay?"

Blake nodded, her face set determinedly as she gazed up at the sky. Yang removed her hands from around her partner and gently tried to move her arm up, stopping when Blake hissed in pain.

"Just do it," the Faunus grunted irritably.

Yang nodded wordlessly and complied, earning a pained shout as she eased it into place. Quickly sweeping Blake up in her arms again, the blonde stood and began gingerly picking her way among the rocks. She noted that the swaying gait was causing Blake to become sleepy once more.

"No you don't," she chided. "Gotta stay awake for me, okay? I'd heal you, but I don't know how to push my aura into another person."

"Deplorable… lack of training," Blake joked weakly.

Yang snorted another laugh. "Hey, my semblance is tricky enough, if I were to try I'd have an even chance of setting a person on fire as it is."

"That's not… very conductive to healing."

"Nope."

Yang was about to hop over a log when she glanced down and thought better of her actions, instead choosing to walk around the obstruction. "So," she drawled with a grin. "I got no chance at all with the kitty cat in my arms, huh?"

"Nope," Blake replied in much the same tone as Yang had earlier.

The blonde chuckled, taking her partner's humor as a good sign. "And why not? I got the looks, I got the big guns here," she gave her assets a little wiggle, causing Blake to let out an indignant groan. "Nora sure appreciates them."

"And what about Nora?" Blake replied, going along with the banter, her voice sounding a bit stronger now the longer she stayed awake.

"Eh, she'd be fine with a threesome."

"Eww, no."

"No?"

"No. Just… no."

"Aww, you're crushing my dreams here, Blakey."

"I so do not want to hear about how I factor into your sick dreams."

Yang laughed heartily as she strode along, glancing around to make sure she had her bearings. She'd managed to skirt around the cliff and was now back up at the level they'd been before, and after examining the position of the setting sun she got them pointed in the direction of their camp.

"All those trashy novels you read, I'm sure you've come across worse than what I could dream of," Yang scoffed lightly.

"Doubtful. And I don't want to risk my sanity. Besides, you're missing one very important quality."

"Oh?" Yang asked, genuinely curious. "And what would that be?"

Blake smiled up at her partner. "You're not your sister."

"True enough," Yang admitted. "You got it pretty bad for my little sister, don'tcha?"

The Faunus nodded her head, her smile widening and her amber eyes soft. "Yeah, I do."

"Never would have expected it when we first started out."

"No, I certainly wasn't looking for anything like this."

They walked along in companionable silence, Yang more confident in Blake's ability to stay awake. A grin lit up her face as a thought occurred to her.

"So… Does this mean you could end up as my sister-in-law?"

Blake blushed brightly. "Hmm," she hummed in reply.

"Uh-huh. I know that 'hmm', that means a definite 'yes' but you're unwilling to come right out and say it."

The Faunus looked up at her again, somewhat startled that her partner was able to read her nonverbals so accurately already.

Yang just smirked down at her. "Not as dumb as I look," she said cheerfully.

"Never have I once implied you were dumb," Blake replied softly. "And… yes, I have thought about it. On occasion." At Yang's incredulous look, she had the grace to glance away in embarrassment. "Okay, maybe more than just on occasion."

"Yep," Yang sighed. "You're smitten."

"You will not hear me deny that fact."

"You gonna wait till we graduate?"

"To ask her? I don't know." Blake bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "We haven't discussed it much… Except that we both agree we can't see a future without each other in it."

"Really?" Yang said, surprised. "Wow. She… Ruby's really not a little girl anymore, is she…?"

"No, she most definitely is not," Blake replied gently. "You okay with us being a permanent item?"

"You know what…?" the blonde replied musingly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. How could I not be, with two of my favorite people in all of Remnant?"

Blake laughed softly, reaching up to pat Yang's cheek with her good hand. "Don't go all sappy on me," she teased. "I'll start to think Nora's domesticated you."

"Ha!" Yang barked out a laugh. "Nora? Domesticated? Have you spent any time at all with that girl?"

Her noise must have carried through the forest enough that it got the rest of their team's attention, as Ruby's panicked calls carried clearly over to them.

"Over here, Ru!" Yang called back. In a lower voice, she murmured to Blake, "Prepare to be glomped."

"I could use some Ruby glomping," Blake sighed wearily. "It's been one Grimmshitty day."

Yang laughed again at her partner's uncharacteristic crassness. "That it has, Blakey. That it has."

A short while later they were surrounded by both Weiss and a very frantic Ruby, the latter bouncing up and down inconsolably and on the verge of tears.

"Oh my Oum, Blakey! What happened!" the small redhead exclaimed. "You were so late, and then we couldn't reach you, and I wanted to go looking but Weiss said no, and I figured yeah that'd be a bad idea to wander about without knowing where you were, and then we heard the gunfire way off but couldn't figure out where from, and Weiss made me stay again, but I was so worried and I kept wanting to run off after you…"

As Ruby paused to take a deep breath, Weiss finally got a word in edgewise. "I had to literally sit on her to keep her from running off after you two," she grumped.

Yang knelt down to let Ruby get closer to her girlfriend, though she kept her arms firmly around Blake. "Watch her arm," she warned. "It's broken, and she's got a head wound as well."

"Oh, no!" Ruby wailed. She had held herself back from the anticipated glomping and restricted herself to frantic kissing of the raven-haired girl, cradling her head in her small hands.

Yang looked distinctly uncomfortable as she gazed about the small clearing while her sister made out with her partner in her arms. "Well, _this_ is a thing," she commented wryly.

Before Weiss could make a comment in reply, Blake pulled away with a gasp. "Ruby…"

Yang looked down finally to see a lingering glow around the Faunus slowly fade away. Blake pulled the scarf away from her head with her good hand and probed the wound gingerly, but it was completely healed now, not even a bump to show for it.

"Did you just… push your aura into her?" Yang asked incredulously. "I didn't know you could do that, Ru!"

Ruby shrugged her shoulders unconcernedly. "Never tried to before."

"But how did you do that?" Blake asked wonderingly. "I mean… my headache is completely gone!" She cradled her injured arm in her other hand as she slowly shifted herself out of Yang's arms and to her feet.

"Well, duh," Ruby grinned up at her girlfriend. "Our hearts are joined, why wouldn't our auras be as well?"

Weiss snorted derisively. "That's not at all how it works," she complained, but then paused. "However… that was still one of the most romantic things I've ever heard," she begrudgingly amended.

"But I'm still absolutely not a romantic!" the small redhead adamantly declared as she snuggled into the side of Blake, careful not to jostle her arm as the team began walking back to the campsite.

"Suuure you're not," Yang rolled her eyes with a grin, walking behind Blake and watching to make sure she didn't stumble.

"I'm not, honest!" Ruby protested. "I got a reputation to maintain, right? Guys?"

By that time they had arrived back at the campsite, and the others couldn't contain their snickering any longer. Blake sat down with a sigh, and once her arm was in her lap she hooked her good hand into Ruby's neckline and pulled her down into another long kiss, cutting off her protests.

"Right, that's the second one, I'm outta here," Yang proclaimed as she threw her arms up into the air dramatically. She shook her hair out and turned towards her tent. "I'm gonna call for pickup now, wake me when the transport arrives."

Weiss let a grin creep across her face as she turned on her heel in the other direction. "I'll keep watch," she said quietly as she walked a short distance away.

None of this entered into Blake's consciousness as she once again lost herself in the feeling of Ruby's lips, the girl now crouched down next to her and the pain in her broken arm fading to the recesses of her awareness. The diminutive redhead was being very careful not to jostle her injury, but for all that was pouring a considerable amount of enthusiasm into the kiss, obviously relieved at her safe return.

 _Maybe I do deserve this,_ Blake thought to herself dreamily. _And if I haven't done anything to deserve it, then I'll damn well earn it by loving this amazing girl with all of my heart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not my usual fluffy drabble, as half the story didn't have much to do with the pairings here, the rest having Yang being the protective big sister to both Ruby and Blake. I was inspired by reading the excellent "Bad Times And Good Times" by the fantastically eloquent momoxtoshiro. It's a collection of shorts with different pairings done randomly, and using quotations pulled from a list of similar Hurt/Comfort in a theme. I absolutely love this idea.
> 
> The quotation used was the same from the synopsis: "Look at me. Just look at me and stay awake, okay? Can you do that?"
> 
> And no, I still don't intend on Ladybug progressing any further with their relationship, they're just fine and dandy as they are, Yang will have to suck it up and deal with it.
> 
> Couple more notes, I started using the proper term for the small air transports, Bulldog. Previously I was using airship to refer to all of the collective flying transportation methods, which I found to be erroneous when I was doing some reading on the RWBY wiki. Ah, well. Better late than never. And yes, a sleuth is the name for a group of bears. Weird, huh?


	18. Sugar Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Goodwitch decides to shake things up a bit, and the pairing that results could very well spell Beacon's doom. Ruby and Nora working together? This cannot end well…

**Beacon Academy**   
**Monday Morning**

The students' opinions on the early hour for their sparring class were as varied as their semblances. Many believed it to be a special form of torture to have to face such brutality first thing in the day. Some faced the ordeal with a certain amount of resignation, others with resolute fortitude as they strove to keep their skills and grades at an acceptable level.

Others, like Ruby Rose, actively looked forward to it.

"This is gonna be a great week!" the diminutive leader of team RWBY proclaimed excitedly to her friends as they took their usual seats in the bleachers. "I've been working on a new trigger mechanism for _Crescent Rose_ , and I can't wait to try it out!"

Blake offered her girlfriend an indulgent smile before she attempted to cover up a yawn behind her hand. Her eyes were twinkling as she watched the little redhead bounce up and down excitedly in her seat.

"Who you gonna try it out on, sis?" Yang asked as she leaned back into Nora's knees, the pinkette sitting behind her. Nora decided to court disaster and started to play with the blonde's hair idly. Truthfully, she was the only person who could possibly get away with the act, though the others sitting nearby reflexively leaned away from the couple.

Ruby looked around the seating thoughtfully. "Hmm… Who else is long-ranged here?"

Before anyone else could offer an opinion, Glynda Goodwitch stepped into the middle of the arena and cleared her throat.

"Good morning, students," she began, her voice easily carrying throughout due to the acoustics of the tall room. "I have something special planned for this week, an activity that will stress the need for huntsmen to be able to adapt to new situations."

"Pfft, we're as adaptable as they come!" Yang boasted quietly.

"Yeah, bring it!" Ruby chirped confidently, but just as softly as her sister. "Team RWBY's accepting all comers!"

"This week we will be mixing things up a bit, and randomly assigning combat partners to everyone in the class."

A pin could have been heard to drop in the silence that followed.

"Is she serious?" Weiss finally murmured in shock. "She can't be serious, right?"

Blake looked askance at her redheaded girlfriend. Ruby had ceased her bouncing and was instead reduced to a trembling ball of nervousness.

Glynda stepped back and tapped a few keys on her scroll, the screen behind her lighting up. A pair of boxes began to rapidly scroll through student portraits.

"Oh my Oum, she's actually serious," Weiss moaned.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie," Pyrrha sighed, tightening her arm reassuringly around the platinum-haired girl.

"Our first combat partnership will be…. Pyrrha Nikos… and Dove Bronzewing."

The combined teams of RWBY and JNPR swiveled their heads as one to stare at the tall redheaded huntress-in-training.

"Oh, honey," Weiss breathed tearfully. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"It will be fine, I'm sure," Pyrrha stated somewhat halfheartedly. "We can be professional about this."

"Pyrrha, the entirety of those Cardinal assholes have done nothing but throw ridicule at us all semester," Blake responded with considerable ire.

"Well, yes…"

"And they bullied Jaune."

"But they've left me alone since, you know," the team leader of JNPR interjected. "Since I stood up to them."

"Yes, but recently they've resorted to insulting our, ahem… partnerships." Blake threw a glare across the room at team CRDL who were smirking widely back.

"Partnerships?" Weiss asked.

"I think she means they've been making fun of our all having girlfriends," Yang huffed, her lilac eyes bordered with a faint ring of red. She ignored the next announcement of forced class partners to shoot her own partner a curious look. "And how have you been able to overhear…? Oh."

Blake had simply given her bow a subtle wiggle in the middle of Yang's sentence, conveying what she needed to without words.

"But why didn't you tell us about it before, Blake?" Weiss interjected.

The raven-haired girl shrugged, turning her attention back to her petite girlfriend. "It wasn't a big deal, and it gave them something else to focus on besides harassing our Faunus classmates. Ruby, are you okay?"

Ruby didn't reply, just stared at the screen apprehensively and giving no indication she'd been following the conversation. As each rolling box stopped on a portrait, she'd flinch slightly and then let out a soft sigh of relief.

Blake sidled over and wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, talk to me, Little Gem."

"Oh, sorry Blakey," the redhead finally responded with a forced smile. "Did you say something?"

Yang leaned forward, knowing her sister all too well. "Ru, if you get paired with someone you can't stand, it's not the end of the world. It's only for a week, yeah?"

"But… but what if I get stuck with someone like… like Cardin? This could be bad, this could be really, really bad..." Her silver eyes were wide and frightened, causing Blake to squeeze her tighter.

"We'll get through it," the Faunus murmured. "Besides, all of Cardinal already got assigned partners."

"Yeah, Ren got stuck with Sky," Nora snickered. "Ten lien says he actually gets Ren to lose his temper."

"No bet," Yang laughed, giving the chagrined boy a friendly pat on the knee.

Just then Ruby gave a small _eep_ and jumped in her seat, jostling Blake aside with the sudden movement.

"The next combat partnership will be Ruby Rose… and…"

"Oh please oh please oh please," Ruby muttered anxiously. "I'll give up cookies for a week, just please…"

The second box finally settled on another portrait, a rather familiar orange-haired girl.

"Nora Valkyrie."

There was another shocked silence even more absolute than the first, though it was once again broken by Weiss.

"What… have… you… done?" the heiress slowly uttered, staring at Glynda in abject horror.

Ruby and Nora were looking intently at each other, slow and predatory smiles beginning to creep across their faces.

"I don't know if Beacon has enough insurance for this," Pyrrha commented, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

"This is gonna be awesome," Nora stated, slowly rising to her feet. "Think of the possibilities, the terror we could unleash…"

"An unstoppable force of justice," Ruby grinned, standing as well to look her friend in the eyes.

"The unrivaled power of the sugar-fueled avengers…"

"Power to the little people!" Ruby cheered, drawing stares from the rest of the class.

"Legs will be broken!" Nora shouted triumphantly.

The two diminutive girls leaned in and shared a high-five. "Banzai!" they chorused.

"We're doomed," Weiss facepalmed.

"Alright, class, settle down," Glynda stated loudly. "I know _some_ of you are disappointed, but consider this an opportunity to broaden your horizons and skillset. Now then, we will have our first match immediately. Any brave souls care to volunteer?"

Ruby and Nora shared a quick glance, their lips pulled back in a mirrored feral grin. As one they stood back up again. "We'll go!" they both shouted.

"Very good, Miss Rose, Miss Valkyrie. Any takers to oppose them?"

From the faces of the students, it was more likely they'd have volunteered to face a flock of Nevermores with nothing but a butter knife.

"Very well, then… Mister Bann and Mister Cerule, you are up. Each team will have five minutes in the locker room to prepare."

Blake eyed the pair of girls as they skipped off excitedly. "I'm actually interested to see what they can pull off," she murmured.

"With those overpowered weapons of theirs?" Yang laughed merrily, relaxing now that she was no longer worried about facing the daunting duo. "It's gonna be a slaughter."

The five minutes went by quickly, and before long Ruby and Nora were standing confidently at one end of the arena, the redhead with _Crescent Rose_ unlimbered and by her side while the pinkette held _Magnhild_ over her shoulder negligently. Across from them were two rather nervous boys, one with a pair of curved swords and the other with a broad-bladed axe. Their team was cheering them on encouragingly.

"Hey, aren't those two already on a team together?" Weiss asked, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, sometimes random isn't always," Yang replied sagely. Weiss opened her mouth to issue an irritable retort but then closed it, deeming the effort futile.

"Most likely that's why Professor Goodwitch picked them," Blake commented. "Gives them a fair chance."

Yang snorted derisively. "Against Nora and Rubes? Ha!"

"Alright, then," Glynda announced. "Prepare yourselves… Three… two… one… Fight!"

The pair of boys must have found their courage somehow, and each one hurled themselves forward with fierce yells.

The rest of the class, expecting a fierce clash of weaponry in the center of the room, were rendered mostly speechless by the resulting one-sided battle.

Nora whipped her hammer around, quickly turning it into a grenade launcher and sending a pair of explosive projectiles at the approaching student's feet. The unprepared boys were sent flying upwards, where Ruby calmly picked them apart with her oversized sniper rifle, completely decimating what was left of their auras.

Neither girl had taken a step from their original position. The entire fight was over in a matter of seconds.

"That was… unexpected," Blake mentioned wryly.

"Well," Yang breathed wondrously, unable to take her eyes off of the pair of girls as they solicitously helped their opponents to their feet. "I'm a little bit shocked and a little amazed and more than a little turned on by that, though the last bit is particularly disturbing since my sister was part of it as well…"

"Really, Yang?" Weiss protested, blinking herself out of her stunned stupor. "Was that really necessary?"

"Usually, yeah," the blonde smirked.

**Monday Evening**

"Ugh," Weiss moaned over the dinner table. "I can't believe the moron I was saddled with. I don't even remember him being in class before."

"He is," Pyrrha reassured her. "His fights have just been… unmemorable."

"Unremarkable, more like," Weiss muttered, stabbing her food violently. "I had to save his hide so often that I was unable to adequately go on the offensive."

"It did last quite a while," her redheaded girlfriend smiled. "And I think you performed brilliantly as always, Snowflake."

"Aww, thanks, sweetie," Weiss returned the smile softly and leaned in for a quick kiss. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"So," Jaune commented, having finished explaining the morning's excitement to team CVFY, all four of whom were wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. "Any ideas on how we're going to handle… that?"

The blonde boy indicated with his fork the other end of the table. Ruby and Nora were sitting across from each other, their heads together and plotting their next bout with a certain degree of fiendishness. Each girl was speaking so rapidly they were talking over one another, though the petite pair seemed to be following their conversation effortlessly.

Normally their girlfriends would be perched by their shoulders, however, tonight there was an empty seat between them and both Yang and Blake, seated across from each other as well. The longtime partners were eyeing the other two somewhat warily.

"I'm more than a little disturbed by how well they're clicking together," Yang confided to Blake quietly. "They never really seemed to be best buds before."

"Well, it should be fine," Blake replied with weak assurance. "Once this random double week is over, things should return to normal… right?"

No response was forthcoming, though the next sound was a loud cackling from both diminutive girls who glanced over at the others, their eyes lit up with manic glee.

"Yep," Weiss sighed again. "We're doomed."

"Ren, can't you do something?" Jaune asked querulously. The rest of the table turned to eye the quiet magenta-eyed boy.

Nora's childhood friend shrugged his thin shoulders. "I wash my hands of it," he quietly proclaimed.

Yang snorted humorously. "Coward."

"Not at all," Ren disagreed politely. "I consider myself to be a pragmatist and merely intend to make sure I'm not in the front row of the fallout."

At that both Blake and Yang cautiously leaned away from the crazed duo of red and pink, putting even more distance in between them.

**Thursday Morning**

Overall most of the fights had been rather anticlimactic, as the strongest individual fighters seemed to shine without being able to fall back on their teamwork. Some surprising matches were entertaining enough, but today's bouts were anticipated with a mix of morbid curiosity and dread by the students.

Weiss sighed from the bleachers, watching Pyrrha stand next to Dove at one end of the arena. The tall boy was widely smirking and obviously verbally assaulting the amazonian warrior with lecherous suggestions by the rising ire in her face.

"Uh-oh," the heiress murmured with a small smile.

"What's up, Princess?" Yang asked jovially. "You're not worried about Pyrrha, are you?"

Weiss shook her head in amusement, eyeing the opposing pair of boys, Dove's teammate Russel and another student by the name of Tyrian. "Not at all," she replied levelly. "This will not, however, end well."

The others watched closely as Pyrrha's stony expression darkened further until it was replaced by a very small, very dangerous smirk of her own.

"Oh, yeah," Nora giggled. "This is gonna be good."

Glynda began her countdown to fight, and the combatants readied their weapons. All except for Pyrrha, who calmly slipped _Akouo_ onto her back once more and sheathed _Milo_ at her side.

Once the fight commenced, Dove made as if to launch onto the attack, but found himself unable to move.

"What the-" The tall blonde boy looked down in perplexion to see that his armor was glowing darkly. Before he could comment further, he was sailing across the arena.

Pyrrha, her arms crossed and not moving a muscle, used her semblance to manipulate the hapless Dove as both a shield and club. His body battered down the defences of both Russel and Tyrian, the latter rather quickly as he had a particularly low amount of aura available for defense.

Russel tried vainly to get away and throw himself at the stoic amazonian warrior, but she would twirl Dove back into his path time and time again. It wasn't too long before both Russel and Dove had their aura's dip into the red, and a highly amused Glynda called the match.

Though the buzzer couldn't be easily heard over the raucous laughter of the observing students.

Once the jovial outbursts had dwindled down to amused murmurings, Glynda slowly strode over to the calmly waiting Pyrrha.

"Well done, Miss Nikos, if a tad unorthodox," the professor stated, loudly enough to carry throughout the classroom.

"But… she can't do that!" Dove tried to protest weakly from where he lay in a crumpled heap on top of his teammate.

"Really, Mister Bronzewing, while the team work was, ahem, below our usual standards, it was perfectly within the rules," the blonde woman replied archly. A faint hint of a smirk appeared for a fleeting second. "And perhaps the next time you might consider not insulting your partner and their sexual preferences."

Both teams RWBY and JNPR were still recovering from their howls of laughter. Yang was gleefully reviewing the video capture on her scroll before uploading it to everyone she knew.

Weiss, for her part, sat back with a highly satisfied smirk. "That's my girlfriend," she stated proudly.

The next bout was as immensely anticipated as the previous one, featuring Ruby and Nora once more against Cardin and an unfortunate boy by the name of Rajah. The latter was an immigrant from Vacuo, and seemed rather cowed by his current partner.

"I feel kinda bad for the kid," Yang commented, inclining her head towards the slender boy gripping a spear determinedly. "Cardin isn't known for being the best of team players."

"Or for being a good sport about losing," Blake added. "While part of me really wants to see Cardin suffer, the rest of me wants them to get this over with quickly."

"Think they'll use the same strategy?" Pyrrha asked idly, still with a pleased smirk on her face from her previous bout. Weiss was sitting by her side, unabashedly holding her hand and with a smug grin on her face as well.

"With those two, expect the unexpected," Ren stated ominously.

Yang chuckled as the countdown started. "Guess we're about to see…"

As the bout began, Cardin gave his temporary partner a helpful shove from behind to propel him forward, using him as a shield as he readied his massive mace. It seemed obvious they were expecting another long-range attack, but as Ren predicted, the pair of petite girls weren't about to slip into complacency.

In a flurry of rose petals, Ruby was off across the arena in a flash, circling around to the far side with her scythe held out to her side. Cardin whipped his head around to keep track of her, which proved to be his undoing.

With a gleeful shout, Nora leapt into the air and brought her massive hammer slamming into the ground, sending a shockwave out that caused poor Rajah to bowl over into Cardin. The pair of them stumbled backwards, straight into Ruby's well-timed attack.

Another whirl of rose petals was the only warning as _Crescent Rose_ swept by, knocking the feet out from under their opponents. The attack did negligible damage but served to disorient them, as well as distract them from the main attack.

As both Cardin and Rajah staggered back to their feet, they were met by a smirking orange-haired hammer-wielder. Nora took one step forward and swung _Magnhild_ at the both of them, smacking into their midsections and sending the pair of them flying at the wall with an audible _splat_ before they sunk into a boneless pile on the floor

The buzzer quickly sounded to indicate the match was over.

The crowd of students erupted into thunderous applause, led by teams RWBY and JNPR as they voiced their enthusiastic cheer.

Yang, however, was staring at her orange-haired girlfriend as she and Ruby jumped up and down while giving each other excited hugs.

As the cheering died down, she finally found her voice. "I am _so_ gonna marry that girl," Yang murmured wonderingly.

Blake, of course, picked up on the comment and gave her an amused look, which caused the blonde to blush furiously.

"Not a word," she scowled, wagging a finger at her partner.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Faunus smirked.

Yang's blush intensified, and she scooted over to press up against the raven-haired girl. "I'm serious, Blakey. You gotta partner-pinky-promise me."

"I have to what, now?"

The blonde bruiser wordlessly extended her pinky with fierce determination.

Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very well, I am sworn to secrecy," she said solemnly while linking fingers, though she spoiled it with another smirk. "Won't stop me from teasing you about it."

"Yeah, well," Yang sighed back. "I suppose I have that coming to me."

**Friday Evening**

By the end of the week, things had returned to normal, as much as they ever did at a huntsman academy such as Beacon. The teams were once again seated at the dining tables in their usual arrangements and discussing the plans for the weekend. By unspoken agreement, both Blake and Yang decided that they should pursue different activities.

"So, I think the saying goes, all's well that ends well, yes?" Pyrrha asked amusedly. "I suppose it could have been worse."

"True enough," Jaune replied thoughtfully. "But did we really learn anything?"

"Yeah, that we're better off with our own teams," Yang grinned.

"Well, I don't know about that," Ruby mused, a glint in her eyes. "I think perhaps we need to coordinate more inter-team exercises. What do you think, Jaune?"

"Uh…" The blonde looked around the table helplessly, but he was unable to register the frantic shaking of heads, instead pinned to his seat by two pairs of puppy-dog eyes, one set silver and the other turquoise.

"Y- Yeah, I suppose that'd be great!" he finally said with false cheer, unable to resist the powerful assault upon his willpower.

From several seats away, Ruby and Nora turned and gave each other a knowing and victorious wink, sending tendrils of dread throughout the rest of their teams.

Weiss' forehead hit the table with a soft _thunk_. "We are _so_ doomed…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After watching S3 Ch9, we are in dire need of some fluff. Perhaps with a little action on the side, but fluff nonetheless. Is this still fluff? Yeah, I'm gonna say so. Behold the fluff, for it is fluffy.
> 
> Now, my original idea for this was a standalone story, unrelated to the Lemonade series, that paired Ruby and Nora together. It has been noted before I'm a big fan of unusual pairings. However, every idea I had for the actual story itself seemed to result in a maelstrom of destruction followed by a sugar-induced coma. Plus Nora would be far too aggressive in relationships, imho, to be a good match for Ruby. Then it occurred to me how I could still make them work as a partnership, and voila.
> 
> That original idea, by the by, came about from a conversation with my eldest daughter, Live to anger the World, about how auras power semblances, except for Ruby and Nora who are powered by sugar, and then this most excellent of pairings were conceived in my head; which then turned into a womance (which from what I understand is the female equivalent to a bromance), if you will. My head is a weird place to be most days.


	19. North Pole Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss discovers a terrible truth that Pyrrha and the others must help her cope with.

**Beacon Academy**   
**Friday Evening**

All things considered, Weiss could think of much worse ways to spend her Friday evenings.

The others in her team were out and about in Vale that evening, Yang with Nora to go either dancing or brawling depending on their mood. Though, often they were known to accommodate both activities in one evening or even in the same location, along with copious amounts of alcohol consumption. Blake and Ruby, on the other hand, were attending a poetry reading, of all things. Weiss was shocked to hear about their planned date, and even more so when her partner told her, with all sincerity, that Ruby was actually looking forward to it. Apparently, her Faunus teammate had been reading the works from said poet out loud to the diminutive redhead for some time now.

If anyone had told Weiss at the beginning of the year, back when she was first getting acclimated to working within a team of such apparent misfits, that her dunce of a leader would be willingly attending a poetry reading with her other teammate, who was secretly a Faunus, she would have checked them for a fever.

In any case, the end result of her teammate's activities resulted in Weiss and her gorgeous, in her esteemed opinion, girlfriend Pyrrha having a quiet evening to themselves in Team RWBY's dorm room.

"Weiss, are you alright?" the redhead in question queried, her emerald eyes shining with concern.

"Hmm?" Weiss blinked her eyes uncertainly. "Pardon?"

Pyrrha gave a small giggle, a sound which never ceased to amaze her, especially when she was the cause of such happiness. "You've only been staring at me for the last five minutes."

"Oh." The platinum-haired girl blushed and glanced down at her hands where they lay in her lap. "I can't help it if you're so gorgeous I can't keep my eyes off of you," she honestly replied with a slight smile.

"Flatterer," Pyrrha laughed, pulling Weiss over to her from where they sat side-by-side on the heiress' bed. Their novels forgotten, Weiss contentedly snuggled up in her girlfriend's arms, her head on the other girl's soft chest. She listened to the steady beat of her heart, wishing she could just lie like this forever. If only there wasn't school to ruin everything, which in itself was a shocking thought for the studious girl. Or life in general, for that matter, like…

Her girlfriend quickly picked up on Weiss' stiffening, as much as she tried to cover it up with a quick snuggle deeper into the embrace.

"Alright, now, something is definitely bothering you." Pyrrha slipped a finger under Weiss' chin to tilt her head up and gaze into her expressive eyes. "Please talk to me, Snowflake. It upsets me when you keep things bottled up like this."

Weiss sighed softly. "You're the only one who ever notices when I do," she murmured.

"It's only fair, you were the first one to notice my genuine smile from the one I put up for everyone else," Pyrrha replied with an amused glint in her eyes.

"True. But that's only because you were smiling at me that way."

Pyrrha leaned over the last three inches to seal her lips over Weiss'. The shorter girl was always surprised at the softness of her girlfriend's lips, yet relished every contact with them she was able to get.

All too often lately, she wondered if she were simply stealing moments from the present to sustain her in the future.

The redhead pulled back ever so slightly, breaking the gentle kiss. "You're still avoiding the subject," she murmured against Weiss' lips before moving back the rest of the way again and gazing down at her expectantly.

Weiss sighed again, more heavily this time, and turned her head so that she was back in her original position against Pyrrha's chest. She didn't want to face those wonderful eyes right now.

_Oum, I don't even want to have this conversation right now. Why can't I have a little more time to enjoy what we have? Why does it have to be complicated? Why can't our love be enough?_

"You know you can tell me anything, my little Snow Angel," Pyrrha prompted gently. "Please let me help you."

With a groan of resignation, Weiss nodded her head slightly, still refusing to meet her girlfriend's gaze.

"I had resolved to gain my independence from my father to a degree," she began quietly. "It was working, Winter seemed to have convinced him to lay off of me. But recently… In the past couple of weeks or so, he has been messaging me daily. Sometimes multiple times."

"I've noticed," Pyrrha admitted. "I've also seen you ignore the messages and tuck your scroll away without reading them."

"My father is a difficult man to ignore," Weiss stated flatly. "He's been becoming more… adamant about my returning to the company after graduation to help run things, to learn more about the business so that I can eventually take over. But that's not the worst of it."

Pyrrha began running her hand through Weiss' unbound tresses, the simple movement causing a soft smile to form on her lips. _She always knows how to calm me down._

Even so, it took her a full minute to gather her resolve to continue the confession.

"He's started dropping not-so-subtle hints about heirs," Weiss finally disclosed. "In fact, today he went so far as to mention that I should enjoy my little _dalliance_ ," she spat the last word out venomously, "with my girlfriend while I can."

"But you don't have to listen to him," Pyrrha reassured, her voice tinged with a hint of anxiety. "You can be your own person."

Weiss was quiet again but was cognizant of the fact that Pyrrha's hand had slowed and was trembling ever so slightly.

"I've agonized over this my whole life," Weiss whispered. "Even more so recently. But I've finally come to the realization that in order to change things I might need to do what he asks of me. Become integral within my grandfather's company, otherwise, the Schnee name will forever be dragged through the dirt for its… _questionable business practices_ , as one of my now-best-friends had once told me, ever so scornfully."

Pyrrha's hand had ceased altogether, but once again resumed her steady stroking of Weiss' platinum hair while humming softly in her chest. The sound made Weiss smile once again through the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"So where does that leave us?" her girlfriend finally asked apprehensively.

Weiss pushed herself up, finally finding the courage to face the incredible girl who taught her how to live again, how to enjoy life and love. She shouldn't have been shocked to find those enchanting emerald eyes had tears of their own, but it still made a swift pang of regret stab her heart as the cause of such pain.

"I love you," Weiss declared firmly, wiping first her eyes and then Pyrrha's with her sleeve. "And I am… I'm outraged by my father's opinion of you, how he refuses to even meet with the both of us. But…"

Pyrrha nodded in understanding, cupping Weiss' cheek in her calloused hand that smelled of the hand lotion she used, citrus and floral. "But he's your father."

"It's not just that, yes he's my father, but… I'm still terrified of confronting him."

Pyrrha leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, the faint flavor of her cherry chapstick overridden by the salty taste of her tears. The redhead let out a sigh as she tucked Weiss back down into her embrace.

"This is a heavy burden for you to bear," Pyrrha murmured softly. "I know you feel like the entirety of the Schnee legacy is riding on your shoulders… But please, please Snowflake, let me shoulder some of that burden with you. I love you so very much, and I'm willing to do absolutely anything to assure us of a future together."

"I'll try, my love," Weiss whispered miserably, knowing that even if it went against every molecule in her being to accept help in such a fashion, her girlfriend was worth it.

They, the two of them together, were worth it.

**Vale Wilderness**   
**Saturday Morning**

The next morning found Weiss and her teammates tramping through the wilderness in a desolate corner of Vale. Once again they had been called to investigate the rumor of renewed Grimm activity, this time from a pack of Beowolves.

The platinum-haired girl fervently hoped that this mission would resolve far more successfully than their last one, or at least without significant injury.

Yang had relinquished the job of rear guard to Ruby, as she was still nursing a rather significant hangover. Weiss had tried to be understanding, really she had, and perhaps her voice could be a little bit shrill when she was lending her advice on her teammate's questionable activities that left the rest of them in danger. But honestly, there was no call for such language as Yang had delivered.

"Hey, Weissy?" the blonde in question finally spoke up from behind the heiress.

She turned her head slightly in acknowledgment, though didn't deign to answer.

Yang sighed and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "I'm… sorry."

Weiss came to a stop to look at the brawler in surprise. "You are?"

"Yeah, I am. I shouldn't have called you… those things."

"Well." Weiss sniffed. "I apologize as well, then, for being so… harsh in my response."

"Oh, that's no big deal," Yang grinned, the extroverted girl's humor coming to the fore. "Freezing someone like me in place is like a prank, really, since I can just melt it away on my own. It's what I get, though, for making you so _Yang_ ry."

Weiss groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her blonde teammate's puns were truly going to induce a coronary in her one of these days.

She turned and continued their trek, this time at Yang's side. They shared an easy silence as they walked, hearing Ruby bringing up the rear, though, of course, Blake's traversal of their path ahead was as silent as a shadow.

She felt the unusual urge to assuage her teammate's guilt further, however. "Yang… I could have been less… irritable with you earlier as well, especially with your headache and all. So… I apologize for that also."

The blonde looked over at her in surprise and chuckled lightly. "Apology accepted. I gotta tell you, though, that hooking up with Pyrrha is, like, the best thing that could have happened to all of us."

Weiss smiled in reply, acknowledging the fact that she'd been far less testy since she and Pyrrha became a couple. In fact, this morning's eruption was now the exception rather than the norm. And likely the only reason it had occurred was the ponderings still weighing upon her.

_What am I going to do about my father?_

Her resumed introspection was interrupted by the sudden appearance of their dark-clad Faunus teammate, ghosting out from a nearby copse of trees.

"I think I found something," Blake murmured. She waited for Ruby to join them before squatting down and sketching out a rudimentary map in the dirt at their feet.

"This is the path here… and this is our current destination. Here are the cliffs off to the West of us. Somewhere… here… looks to be some sort of activity."

"Grimm?" Weiss asked intently.

"No, sentient, but not a settlement I don't think. Might be a mining or lumber camp?" Blake sat back on her heels, her amber eyes bright. "The unusual thing were the guards."

"Why would it be unusual for them to have guards?" Ruby asked curiously. "This is the wild, after all."

"Not the presence of the guards," Blake clarified. "Their actions. They seemed to be just as intent on watching the inside perimeter of the area as they were the forest." The Faunus girl looked around at her team intently. "It reminded me of… a labor camp. As in, involuntary labor."

"Like slaves?" Weiss asked, shocked.

Yang gave a low growl, her lilac eyes tinged with red.

Ruby looked searchingly at the rest of their team. "So, we investigate."

"Um," Weiss interjected, raising a hesitant hand. "Not that I'm objecting to that course of action… but isn't this a little bit outside of our mission parameters?"

"You've never seen the inside of a labor camp," Blake replied flatly. "The misery and pain of the laborers would certainly be enough to attract Grimm."

"Oh, well alright then." Weiss gracefully stood to her feet once more and dusted her combat skirt off. "Shall we?"

"Yes, yes we shall," Ruby grinned eagerly.

The four of them silently crept forward. It was as Blake had reported, the guards only kept half of their attention on the surrounding forest, making their approach even easier, especially for someone like Weiss who wasn't the stealthiest or most concealable of people.

"For a huntress-in-training," Yang quipped softly. "You sure know how to stand out when we sneak, Princess."

"I'm _sorry_ ," Weiss huffed irritably, though she kept her voice down as much as possible. "I don't have a lot of color variety in my wardrobe, alright?"

"Next team meeting, we discuss alternative combat uniforms," Ruby whispered. "I vote for red and black as our unified theme."

Blake shot her an amused look, though she didn't deign to reply. Instead, she slowly pushed herself through the last undergrowth to peer out at the camp. After only a few seconds she pulled back inside, her eyes glittering furiously.

"It's definitely a slave mining camp," the raven-haired girl reported. "And they're all Faunus."

Yang growled again, her eyes now red throughout. Weiss had to lean away from her slightly due to the amount of heat she was putting out.

"Alright, Team Ruby," their leader declared softly. "Let's go break up some slavers. Agreed?"

Both Yang and Blake nodded firmly, and Weiss placed her fist into the center of the group. "Banzai," the heiress said with an anticipatory grin.

The others clasped her hand, Yang's overly warm grip making her palm sweaty. "Banzai," they all chorused softly.

"What's the plan, sis?" Yang asked, flexing her hands to drop _Ember Celica_ into position.

"Blakey, how many guards?" Ruby prompted, unlimbering Crescent Rose and cradling it as a sniper rifle.

"Only a dozen or so here, though there's a building off to the side," the Faunus reported, fingering her own weapon eagerly. "I'll take that, if you like."

"Okay then, here's the plan." Ruby stood and looked around the area. "Yang and Weiss, go take out the guards as quickly as you can. Make sure the workers stay out of the line of fire. Blake, hit the offices, Yang backs her up when she'd finished out front. I'll take out the perimeter guards as they come investigate, Weiss you make sure the workers are kept safe and be ready to assist us if anyone needs it. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Yang grinned. She gave the others a wink. "Excuse me while I make an entrance." With that she fired her weapons at her feet, sending her soaring over the trees and into the clearing beyond.

"So much for the subtle approach," Blake commented wryly as she started forward.

"Subtle?" Weiss scoffed genially as she jogged along at the raven-haired girl's side. "This is Yang we're talking about, right?"

They broke apart once they hit the clearing, Blake heading off towards the small building that looked to be a foreman's office and Weiss towards where the explosions were now occurring on the far side. Ruby's sniper fire was already being heard as she dealt with the reinforcements that were pouring in at Yang's explosive entry.

A pair of guards appeared in front of Weiss, causing her to snort in derision. They stared at the heiress in shock, not even attempting to bring their weapons to bear.

The huntress-in-training dispatched them easily before continuing on her path to backup Yang. Something, however, was bugging her about the area, something her subconsciousness had picked up on…

The mining area was cordoned off with a sturdy fence, topped with razor wire that faced the inside. Past the fence were numerous weary and abused-looking faces of Faunus of all varieties, the majority of them looking out uncomprehendingly. There were another set of guards at the gate, three of them, and this time their reaction was far more violent.

Weiss dodged to the side before throwing a glyph up to absorb the gunfire directed her way. With another twirl of _Myrtenaster_ , she stabbed into the ground and activated her green dust chamber. A concussive blast threw the three guards into the gate, knocking their weapons out of their hands and stunning them momentarily. With a flash of motion, Weiss was upon them and quickly eliminated her opponents.

It was then that she realized what had been bugging her.

She stared down at the guards almost uncomprehendingly. Though a small part of her brain had already deciphered what she was viewing, it was just waiting for the rest of her to catch up. It was clear as day, really, and extremely difficult to ignore or dismiss once she had acknowledged it.

Right there, on their jackets.

The Schnee Dust Company logo.

This, all of this, the whole slave camp, it was a Schnee company operation.

"No," Weiss whispered to herself, horrified at the implications. "This… this can't be right…"

A panting Yang caught up to her on her way to support Blake, who from the sound of things was heavily engaged in the office that was her target.

"Weiss?" the blonde prompted, seeing the heiress standing motionless by the gate to the slaves. "Hey, you okay?"

The platinum-haired girl didn't respond except for incoherent and inaudible mutterings.

"Okay, well, I don't see any blood, sooo…" Yang took a hesitant step, her concern split between her partner and her other teammate seemingly comatose though on her feet. The decision was made for her as a body came crashing through the window of the small building. What seemed to be the battered form of the foreman came to a rolling halt at Yang's feet. Never being one to refuse a gift, the brawler grinned and slammed her fist into the man's face as he attempted to rise, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold.

The blonde girl cocked her head to the side but didn't hear any further sound of combat. "Blake, how you doin'?" she called out.

"Almost done," Blake shouted back from inside the building. "Weiss with you?"

"Yeah, she's… acting weird. Even for her."

"That's understandable. Be right there."

Ruby came trotting up next, pausing in concern when she saw her partner standing there unmoving. "Is she okay?" the diminutive redhead whispered to her sister.

"I dunno," Yang whispered back. "I'm kinda afraid to touch her. Why is she staring at the bodies?"

"Because of this," Blake reported softly as she suddenly appeared at their side. She held up a folder with the Schnee company logo on it. The team was intimately familiar with it, as Weiss had adopted it as her own personal logo. It was currently emblazoned on the back of the heiress' jacket.

And on the guard uniforms. And the supply boxes, the few vehicles in sight, on the office itself…

"Oh, Dust," Yang breathed. "Is this…?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ruby murmured, finally taking a few steps forward to reach out to her partner. "Hey, Weiss…"

The platinum-haired girl was shocked back into the present once Ruby touched her arm. She quickly blinked back her tears and clamped down on the raging emotions that had briefly leaked through her ice-blue eyes. Ruby, however, got a good look and was startled at the depth of her partner and friend's despair.

"I'm sorry," Weiss began softly, looking about in wonderment. "I… must have lost track of time. It won't happen again." With that, she turned and slowly made her way to the perimeter of the clearing.

The other three team members looked at each one another in concern, but they had slaves to free still. It took them the rest of the afternoon to emancipate the Faunus at the camp and escort them to a community nearby where most of them had been taken from. They'd also left the mining operation in shambles, the equipment destroyed and the mine itself collapsed.

On the way to the community, Ruby had called in to change their pickup location. She, Blake, and Yang agreed that they could consider the mission a success, as the root cause of the Grimm activity was removed.

Weiss, however, was silent for the remainder of the excursion, only answering curtly when asked a direct question. Nobody in her team could coax any answers out of her to figure out what she was thinking.

None of them could tell just how close the heiress was to a complete mental breakdown after witnessing the horror that had been committed in her family's name.

**Beacon Academy**   
**Sunday Afternoon**

Weiss had spent the evening of their return and much of the next day wandering Beacon. She'd occasionally stop by the library to look a few facts up, but the answers she sought were not to be found there.

_Was that really a company-sanctioned operation? Why were they there? Who knew about it?_

Her meanderings had finally taken her back to her dorm room. It was lunchtime, and she was sure that her team, who'd she been avoiding, were at lunch.

She was still deep in her negative thoughts, wondering for perhaps the hundredth time if she could actually gather enough courage to question her father on what she'd seen when she was startled to realize she wasn't alone in the dorm room.

Her team was there as well as Pyrrha, seemingly waiting for her. Yang and Blake sat on the edge of the Faunus' bed while Pyrrha and Ruby sat on her own.

Weiss stood uncertainly as the four of them looked expectantly at her. "Um…" she began, unsure as to what they wanted.

"Hey, Weiss," Ruby finally said softly, patting the space on the edge of the bed between herself and Pyrrha. "Can you sit for a moment? We gotta talk."

"I…" Weiss cleared her throat. "There are things I need to…"

"We get it," Yang interjected, her lilac eyes warm and understanding. "I know it's a lot to figure out, but we're your team. Let us help you come to terms with what we saw."

"But we don't really know what we saw," Weiss protested weakly, still unwilling to admit to herself the depths of depravity that her family organization had fallen to. "It… it could have been a rogue operation, or… or… or maybe just a misguided…"

With a soft sigh, Blake reached behind her and pulled out a light blue folder with the Schnee logo emblazoned on it. She stood and handed it to Weiss.

"You should read this. Here, with us in the room."

Weiss accepted the folder and finally sat down slowly in between her partner and her silent girlfriend. The latter immediately wrapped a supporting arm around her waist, though it did nothing to dispel the dread that was coursing through her veins.

She opened the folder with trembling hands and began to read.

After perhaps fifteen minutes of eerie silence in the room, she closed it once more. It was all there, irrefutable proof on company letterhead with signatures she recognized. Not only was this slave mining operation completely company-sanctioned, it wasn't even an uncommon occurrence. Several camps were spread throughout the kingdoms, out in the wilds where there was no oversight. Any discovery of these camps was quickly and efficiently covered up through the influence of Weiss' father, as detailed in the contingency plans at the back of the assembled information.

Weiss stared at the folder in her lap in utter shock, aghast as she felt her world crumble around her. She dimly felt Pyrrha's arm tighten around her waist, as well as Ruby wrapping her own arms around her torso.

The Schnee heiress dissolved into tears as she was finally unable to keep herself from breaking down, her keening wail the only sound in the dorm room for quite some time.

**Beacon Academy**   
**Tuesday Evening**

It had been two days since she'd been given the hated folder, and Weiss didn't feel like she'd slept a wink. She had tried desperately to come to terms with the information she'd been given, and while she'd lain in bed with her girlfriend's comforting arms encircling her, what little sleep she actually got was fitful and possibly worse than if she had just skipped sleep altogether.

She knew she looked like a mess. Other students had been giving her wary glances as she passed them in the corridors, at the bags she knew to be under her bloodshot eyes, the deathly pallor of her skin.

Pyrrha had stuck by her side, a constant source of comfort and strength that she was eternally grateful for, even more than her team who were actively covering for her in their classes. She'd tried to attend the first class on Monday only to run out in the middle of it, much to the consternation of the professor. From what she'd been able to overhear, however, Ruby had gone all the way to Ozpin himself to get his intervention, and she'd been granted a leave of absence this week while her teammates collected notes and assignments for her.

Her helplessness and unprecedented truancy grated even further on her nerves.

She sat at the dinner table numbly, listening with half an ear to the banter and conversation flowing around the table. It was quieter than usual, the teams all aware of the internal struggle that Weiss was undergoing. They all stole glances at her so… pityingly.

She simply couldn't take it anymore, the concern and the self-denial and everything else, it all just… just…

Weiss realized that she'd been holding her spoon in her hand since she'd sat down, poised over her untouched soup. With a deliberate motion, she sat it down with a  _bang_ far louder than she'd intended it to be. Several of her friends were startled into silence.

"What's going on, Snowflake?" Pyrrha finally whispered gently.

Weiss stared unseeing at her bowl of soup. "I can't do this," she whispered back brokenly.

Her redheaded girlfriend looked at her, brow furrowed, as she lay a hesitant hand on her arm. "Do what?"

"I thought…" The heiress raised her ice-blue eyes up for a moment, flickering guiltily over to Blake before gazing down once more. "I thought I could somehow ignore the ramifications of what we found out in that camp. I thought I could… hide from it." She shook her head slowly, her long side tail of uncharacteristically tangled platinum hair swaying. "Everything I thought was a lie."

Pyrrha shifted over to wrap her arm around Weiss, but the smaller girl slipped out from her grasp.

"Excuse me," she whispered, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she made her escape.

She could hear Pyrrha calling her name behind her, but she put on a burst of speed, almost bowling over a pair of students in her haste to escape. She had to get away, away from everyone. It was all so stifling, so… so overwhelming...

Weiss spent most of the night wandering the grounds of Beacon, meandering through areas she'd never taken the time to explore before.

She spent her time breaking down her own beliefs of her heritage, finally allowing herself to be brutally honest about her options continuing forward. She needed to deal with this as she dealt with everything, decisively and truthfully.

After an hour she'd been able to determine that there was no possible way for her to enact meaningful change from within her family's organization as she had once thought. Not if this culture was so pervasive, starting at the top and flowing down. She always knew her father deemed the Faunus to be below his status, but so much of his beliefs were starkly evident to her now, the things he would comment upon or opinions he would espouse.

Weiss wondered how she had missed his blatant racism. Of course, she'd been of a similar mindset before discovering Blake's heritage, though she'd like to think it was more based off of the constant, unending war the White Fang waged upon her family's company.

A war that now, to be honest, she could somewhat sympathize with, even if the means towards the desired end were inherently violent.

And his attitude towards Pyrrha was suddenly clarified in her head as well. He was, to put it succinctly, the ultimate conservative in the world of Remnant. Humans before Faunus, hetero childbearing pairings before anything else. That was just the way things should be, in his mind, and nothing would ever change that.

She had no hope of ever changing that, which took that option straight off of the negotiation table.

So, she mused to herself as she stood by the fountain in the dark, the trickling sounds of the water a balm to her emotive thoughts. Even if she could, in some way, enact change, did she truly desire to at this point? Did she really want to claim that heritage, her name that she now understood to be far more vilified than she'd ever realized?

It took her only a few more minutes to make up her mind. And once she'd decided on a course of action, Weiss was nothing if not resolute.

She pulled her scroll out to see that there were numerous missed messages. Many from all three of her teammates, exhibiting concern and support, though the majority by far were from Pyrrha. Her simple missives of unconditional love and support brought another tear to her eye, and she sniffed happily as she read through them.

Lastly was another message from her father, reminding her yet again of her familial duty.

"Well," she murmured to herself grimly. "That one gets dealt with last."

First, she contacted her girlfriend. _Are you still up?_ she typed.

Pyrrha answered promptly. _Of course, love. Waiting for you in your room._

_Are the others there?_

_Yes, they're all here._

_Good, on my way._ Her fingers lingered over her scroll. _I love you._

_I love you too, Snowflake._

Weiss smiled softly to herself, then steeled her face as she pulled up her father's text and began to type an answer.

_I've seen one of your slave camps._

She went to put her scroll away as she began walking resolutely back towards her dorm, but it immediately began to vibrate with an incoming call. Her father's stern visage stared at her to indicate who the call was from.

She quickly swiped her scroll to refuse the call and returned it to her pocket.

Within ten minutes Weiss was standing at the door to her room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her courage before slowly pushing the door open.

The others were arrayed much as they were before, though Yang was lounging up on her bed this time, idly kicking her bare feet up into the air and Blake was against her headboard, quietly reading from a book. Ruby and Pyrrha sat on Weiss' bed conversing. All four of them were already dressed for bed, though she noted that Pyrrha had a pile next to her of her clothing, close on hand in case she needed to come out after her.

The platinum-haired girl had to smile slightly at her girlfriend's consideration, as always keeping her welfare in mind ahead of her own. _I don't deserve you. But I will try my very hardest to do so._

The four of them paused in their activities and looked over when Weiss entered, all of them sitting up courteously and giving her their full attention.

She knew her eyes were still red and bloodshot, but nonetheless Weiss gathered herself together with as much grace as she was able to muster. She held her fist up to her mouth and cleared her throat quietly before clasping both of her hands together at her waist.

"I need to tell you all something," she began, her voice bordering on hoarseness. "You… all of you, you are family to me, so much more than friends… And, I need to tell you, that… I have decided I will have nothing more to do with my father or his company. I am renouncing my heritage."

Weiss looked down at the floor, unable to meet their concerned gazes any longer for the rest of what she had to say. "And, also… I am so, so very sorry for what you all saw… in the camp, and in that file…" Her broken whisper trailed off as her carefully rehearsed speech fell apart. How could she adequately convey how responsible she felt for the atrocities committed in her family's name?

She was startled by the hug she quickly received, not just for the physical comfort but for who it was that initiated the intimate act of caring.

"It isn't your fault," Blake murmured reassuringly in her ear. "And by no means do I think that you are representative of your family." The raven-haired girl pulled back and gave Weiss a gentle smile. "You are my friend first and foremost, and yes, I consider you family as well. Nothing will change that."

Weiss found herself speechless, and could only smile back at her tearfully. She hadn't much time to consider a response, though, as the Faunus was quickly replaced by her girlfriend.

Taking her clasped hands into her own, Pyrrha looked down into her eyes intently. "What do you want to do?" she asked. "Because whatever it is, I am here for you."

"You always are," Weiss replied, her smile widening. "And I cannot tell you how grateful I am because of it. But…" She sighed finally, her voice turning disconsolate as she looked down at their joined hands. "I'm not even sure how to completely sever ties with my father. I've told him what I know, just that I'd seen one of the camps… But I can't talk to him about it."

"Why not?" Ruby piped up curiously. "I mean… I know you have a tough time speaking with him…"

"It's not just that. If I truly fight him over this then he'd find a way to get me thrown out of Beacon somehow and back into his clutches." Weiss shook her head, looking at her teammates imploringly. "I have to last through to graduation somehow, but at least now I know for certain my future does not lie in that direction."

"So then, what do you want to do?" Blake prompted from where she'd sat back down on her bed.

"And what can we do to help you?" Yang chimed in, leaning onto her hands as her legs dangled over the edge.

Weiss smiled at her friends, her teammates, and considered herself immensely blessed to have them in her life. And then she directed her attention to Pyrrha and revised her earlier statement. Blessed didn't even come close to describing it.

"I think… If I can somehow get him to back off, just a little bit, it might help," she admitted softly. "I don't know how else to convey the message to him, especially when he starts going off about… heirs."

"Hairs?" Ruby asked. "I don't get it, is he losing his hair?"

"Heirs, Ruby," Blake chuckled. "As in, children."

"Oh. Oh!" The small redhead's silver eyes widened, and then she shuddered in disgust. "Ew."

"It's just part of his constant message to bring me back into the fold." Weiss slowly ran her thumb over Pyrrha's wrist. "And I'm sick of it, sick of the thought that someday… someday he might somehow still get his wish."

"Weiss, look at me."

The platinum-haired girl drew her gaze upward to meet her very favorite and expressive pair of emerald green orbs. Her mouth went suddenly dry at the love she found therein.

"I've always thought it to be my destiny to become a huntress," Pyrrha began, her voice low and sincere. "Protecting the world from evil. But over the last few months, it's become increasingly clear to me that the only destiny I care about is one with you in it." The tall redhead smiled sweetly. "No matter what, I want to be by your side with whatever our future turns out to be."

Weiss drew in a stunned breath as Pyrrha dropped to one knee, bringing the top of her head level with her shoulders.

"Will you marry me, Weiss?"

The silence of the room was broken only by a _thud_ as Yang fell out of her bunk, but still nobody made a noise as they held their collective breaths.

Weiss' mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "Now?" she squeaked.

"No, not just yet, after graduation perhaps." Pyrrha's bright eyes were wet and shining with emotion. "But I want us to be promised to each other before that, so that everyone will know we are betrothed to one another. If you… if you want to, that is?" Her face was suddenly struck with uncertainty as she gazed up at Weiss.

The shorter girl sniffled, wiping away an escaped tear with a fist she'd managed to free from Pyrrha's grasp before bringing it to her mouth. She cleared her throat again to push away the emotion that threatened to choke her. "Only on one condition," she whispered hoarsely.

"Anything," Pyrrha breathed anxiously.

Weiss smiled down at her, bringing her hand around to cup Pyrrha's cheek lovingly. "I want to take your name."

Pyrrha smiled brilliantly back at her in reply. "Weiss Nikos," she murmured through the tears that now flowed down her cheeks. "I like the sound of that."

"So do I," Weiss replied before capturing her lips with her own.

The room erupted in jubilant cheers. Rose petals adorned the couple in the middle of the room as Ruby excitedly ran around in a circle, only coming to a stop when she bounced off of the bathroom door, risking a concussion. Yang let out a joyous holler and scooped her sister up, twirling her around in a circle before grabbing Blake and unceremoniously pulling her into the group hug.

Neither of the newly-engaged pair gave them any mind as they lost themselves in their slow, heartfelt kiss.

All things considered, Weiss didn't think she could have asked for more out of life. She'd found her soulmate, now her fiancee, and there was nothing that would stand in their way.

So long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! And so, our string of stories within the Lemonade series comes to a close. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading my fluffy little tales and hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.


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